The Turin branch of the CGIL workers' union has criticized the closing of immigration offices in the capital of the Piedmont region in Italy. They say the closure was not communicated properly, and comes just weeks after they were freshly opened.
The Turin immigration offices on Via Ruffini, which opened only a few weeks ago, "are closed for now without any official communication", the local branch of the CGIL union, Italy's largest union federation, said in an April 14 statement.
"Hundreds of people found the officers closed" read the CGIL statement, as migrants and asylum seekers arrived at the offices to carry out various administrative tasks. "The documents they need are necessary for their daily lives," the statement clarified.
"Now, sadly, we must acknowledge that they are also necessary for their personal safety, given the reopening of the Turin repatriation center and what is happening at the Gjader repatriation center in Albania," added the union, noting that the use of these repatriation centers for rejected asylum seekers already in Italy has been criticized by certain members of the European parliament.
Read AlsoNew migration offices process 986 new cases in Turin
'People queueing at 5 am in the cold and pouring rain'
The Turin CGIL reported that there had been "people in line waiting [for the office to open, Ed.] at 5 am, in the cold and under pouring rain. At the expected time of opening for the offices, at 8:30 AM, the doors remained closed without any explanation and the migrants were told to leave," the union reported, noting that, "already in the last few weeks the online system was not working properly, creating considerable problems."
A spokesperson at the CGIL branch in Turin asked: "How is it possible to say that, after all this time, the national website still does not work and that the offices are severely understaffed, lengthening the time needed to respond to requests?"
Read AlsoItaly: Turin increases stay permit staff as migrants queue in icy cold
'Choice to maintain illegality to facilitate exploitation'
The Turin CGIL branch spokesperson said the union believed the situation was beginning to unveil the real motives behind the current right-wing government's migration policies. The "situation has begun to appear to be what it actually is: a choice. Not allowing migrants to live and work legally facilitates exploitation and administrative detention in repatriation centers. It also forces people to suffer marginalization and illegality, without appearing to take any blame [for that situation] in any way."
The union promised to continue "speaking out against this situation," accusing the Italian government of seeking "repressive solutions" and "detention [...for migrants] beyond any humanitarian or legal limit."
CGIL branded the current system as "inefficient" and said it was about denying rights to migrants and asylum seekers in Italy. They promised to "continue to monitor the situation."