The pastoral bodies of the Tuscan Bishops' Conference -- the Migrantes foundation and the Caritas branch in the central Italian Tuscany region -- have said that they are against the building of a pre-deportation detention center (CPR) for migrants in the Tuscan city of Florence.

"CPRs were established in 2017 to facilitate the system of expulsion of foreigners lacking valid permits of stay," a joint statement by the two bodies noted. "However, they have become bona fide 'places of detention' for those staying in them for an extended period and 'locked up' while waiting to be repatriated," the statement said.

It emphasized that people staying in CPRs "can remain detained for months, in humiliating and alienating conditions, despite not having committed any crime." In some cases, Migrantes and Caritas said, CPRs "risk violating international conventions and the right to asylum and international protection."

CPR stands for 'Centri di Permanenza per il Rimpatrio' (residence and repatriation center). According to the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, there were ten CPRs across Italy as of November 2021.

Read more: Italy: NGO launches website on CPR migrant detention facilities

'Foster legal entrance and social integration'

An undocumented migrant, the statement by Migrantes and Caritas noted, is "only a person who is breaking an administrative regulation on entrance to and staying in state territory."

Therefore, for "an effective governance of migration flows" and "good coexistence," there was a need for support for legal ways for societal and labor market integration. Moreover, there was a need for policies that include migrants and refugees in "building the future."

Migrantes and Caritas also cited the Florence Charter, signed in February 2022 during a conference of bishops and mayors of Mediterranean cities, which said the proposal for the building of a CPR in Florence was a step in the wrong direction.

Read more: NGO calls for closure of detention centers after migrant's death