The Senate on April 20 approved the government decree on migration passed in the wake of the February 26 Cutro shipwreck which claimed the lives of least 94 migrants. The decree, known as the "Cutro decree" will now go to the Lower Chamber, where it will be converted into law by May 9.

The set of laws contain proposals to eliminate altogether, or vastly limit, the special protection status, which is typically granted to asylum seekers in Italy who are unlikely to receive full refugee protection status.

The Senate's vote shows the same clash between the majority, which believes the measure will stop new irregular migrant arrivals, and the coalition of the opposition whose opinion is that the new rules will only increase the number of illegal migrants in Italy.

The votes in favor of this measure at the Senate were 92, from the center-right, while those against were 65, these votes came from the opposition parties (Democratic Party, Five Stars Movement, Azione-IV, and Avs) and from the Automomies' group.

Opposition parties criticize migrant decree quotas

The government's measure is comprised of various chapters. The first three articles set out to define the migrant decree quotas for the next three years, a measure that for 2023 addresses 82,000 persons in terms of workforce, while the number of requests for labor from the entrepreneurial sector has reached 250,000.

This is the first point that those in the opposition challenge: "The other 170 thousand will go back to working illegally, despite the fact they already hold a job," noted Senator Ivan Scalfarotto (Azione-Iv). This is because the requests regard migrants who are already in Italy.

The majority instead highlighted the fact that a migrant decree was issued: it should represent the message that from now on entry into Italy will only happen if it is legal, this is also because there is an incentive for skilled foreigners who were trained in their home country.

According to the center-right, the legal aspect of the decree is complementary, its aim is to pursue human traffickers.

Those bringing migrants to Italy illegally and by dangerous means will be punished with sentences that go from 20 to 30 years in prison in case of the death of a migrant, even if the death was not intended, as what occurred in the 26 February Cutro shipwreck in Calabria.

On this topic, the opposition parties also criticized the generic formulation of the new crime which instead should be specific, as any new penal law: a "manifest standard".

Also read: Italy: Divisions and protests grow over proposed immigration law

The harshest clash was over special permits

The harshest clash between the center-right and the oppositions, as well as the differences among the majority, concern the squeeze on special permits. The original text of the decree had already introduced some limitations compared to the Larmogese decree of 2020 (which executed a ruling by the ECHR against Italy dated 2019).

Furthermore, prior to the round of votes on a unified amendment by the center-right, an amendment passed introducing an additional squeeze, with some specific requests -- although not all -- of the League which was contained in amendments that were withdrawn.

What did not go through -- after a difficult confrontation with Brothers of Italy -- concerning the cancellation of the obligation to comply with international legislation at the time of the repatriations, as had been requested by the League.

In the end, the League claimed its success: the Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Nicola Molteni, and the head of the League Group at the Senate, Massimiliano Romeo noted "the logic of the Salvini decrees" of the Conte 2 government, which had been modified by Lamorgese and by the last government lead by the Five Stars Movement.

However, the heads of the group of Forza Italia and Brothers of Italy, Licia Ronzulli and Lucio Malan, claimed the unity of the center-right both in terms of voting and choices. Even the squeeze on the special permits was contested by all the opposition: where will the refugees already present in Italy that will be denied the special permit go? Most likely they will join the other irregular persons in our cities, "The only effect will be to create a higher number of irregular persons and illegal work," declared Francesco Boccia, Senator for the Democratic party.