Key facts
- Meloni's Brothers of Italy party proposed a bill to deport foreign offenders and revoke citizenship.
- Non-EU nationals sentenced to over one year in prison would be deported.
- Deportations would be based on bilateral agreements and have limited grounds for challenge.
- Offenders would be barred from returning to Italy.
- The proposal also seeks to expand offenses leading to citizenship revocation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing party, Brothers of Italy, has put forward a draft bill aimed at expediting the deportation of convicted foreign offenders and making it simpler to strip them of Italian citizenship. The proposed legislation, presented on Wednesday, would mandate the deportation of all non-EU nationals sentenced to more than one year in prison to their home countries, irrespective of their consent.
During a parliamentary press conference, party members indicated that these deportations would be enacted through bilateral agreements negotiated with the respective nations. The bill outlines narrow grounds for challenging deportation, primarily concerning the risk of facing the death penalty or inhum
an treatment in the offender's home country. Once repatriated, these individuals would be permanently barred from re-entering Italy. Brothers of Italy lawmaker Sara Kelany stated that the proposal would also expand the list of offenses that could lead to the revocation of Italian citizenship for those born abroad.
Separately, a proposal from coalition partner The League is under parliamentary discussion, which seeks to impose stricter requirements for obtaining citizenship and make it easier for individuals to lose their Italian nationality. Both The League and Brothers of Italy are reportedly facing pressure from Futuro Nazionale, a nascent far-right anti-immigration movement that polls suggest is gaining traction and potentially drawing support away from the established parties ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.