During 2026, the Italian government also promoted new measures related to deportations. In July, Meloni's party, Brothers of Italy, presented a project to facilitate the repatriation of legal and illegal foreigners convicted of serious crimes.
The Italian Prime Minister reaffirmed her strategy to strengthen border controls and expedite the expulsion of foreigners who are staying illegally or who have committed crimes
During 2026, the Italian government also promoted new measures related to deportations. In July, Meloni's party, Brothers of Italy, presented a project to facilitate the repatriation of legal and illegal foreigners convicted of serious crimes.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, reiterated her defense of a migration policy based on greater border control and an increase in repatriations against illegal immigrants. The Italian government maintains that those who do not have the right to remain in the country must be expelled and that return procedures should be faster and more effective.
“In Italy, the rules are respected, and those who commit crimes and do not have the right to stay are expelled and repatriated,” Meloni stated on September 11 while publishing images of repatriation operations carried out by the Italian police against illegal immigrants from Africa. The right-wing leader added that her government will continue to work to strengthen controls and make expulsions more effective.
Meloni's position comes as Italy maintains a policy of increased pressure on irregular immigration. In September, the Prime Minister also stated that the continuity of the Schengen area depends on European countries' ability to protect the external borders of the European Union and combat organizations dedicated to human trafficking.
The proposal includes the expulsion of non-EU citizens and illegal immigrants sentenced to more than one year in prison, through agreements with their countries of origin or nearby countries, although the project still needs to go through the appropriate legislative process.
The Italian strategy is also unfolding in a context of tightening migration policies within the European Union. In 2026, European institutions advanced new rules aimed at facilitating the return procedures for people who do not have authorization to remain in the EU territory.
Meloni argues that the goal of these measures is to reinforce security, control borders, and ensure that migration rules are effectively applied to prevent the expansion of the invasion of illegal Islamic immigrants into Italy.