Italy sends 49 more migrants to Albania for processing following earlier court rejections

An Italian navy ship arrived Tuesday in Albania with 49 migrants intercepted in international waters for processing of their asylum applications at special Albanian centers, in the third such attempt following hurdles earlier raised by Italian courts. Italy's Interior Ministry did not specify the nationality of the migrants brought to the port of Shengjin, 66 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana, but Italian media said they were from Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Gambia. The attempt at processing in Albania follows two previous failures in October and November, when Italian judges refused to approve the detention of two small groups at the Albanian centers, built under a contentious agreement between Italy and Albania. The courts ruled that the migrants' countries of origin weren’t safe enough for them to face the possibility of being sent back by the centers.