Roundup: Italy halts plan to decriminalize illegal migrants amid terror fears

An increased perception of insecurity amid Islamist terror attacks across the world has led Italy's government to take off the political agenda a planned hearing on decriminalization of illegal immigration.

The government was due to examine the issue at the end of last week, but Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in a television interview that the hearing would no longer take place and his cabinet would "proceed calmly" with the issue.

Introduced under the government of three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2009, the illegal immigration crime has since been widely criticized for leaving migrants vulnerable to exploitation by the black market and clogging up courts.

In fact thousands of illegal immigration cases have been registered last year with no fines collected. In addition, data show that the illegal immigration crime has not had a dissuasive effect so far, national anti-mafia and antiterror prosecutor Franco Roberti said in a recent interview with la Repubblica newspaper.

Renzi had long advocated overturning the crime - which tries or fines illegal migrants up to 10,000 euros (nearly 11,000 U.S. dollars) - but admitted that the "perception of insecurity" in Italy was too strong to decriminalize illegal migrants.

According to a survey released by polling institute Ixe at the weekend, 67 percent of Italians fear that Islamist terror attacks could take place in their country this year. On Jan. 8, those thinking so were 65 percent.

Some political observers, however, argued that Renzi's move was essentially aimed at keeping consensus among voters ahead of the May local elections. "In the last weeks Renzi and his ruling Democratic Party (PD) have significantly lost favor in polls, and Renzi is trying to end the downward spiral," right-wing newspaper Il Giornale wrote.

Renzi's rightist opponents called themselves shocked by the center-left government's plan to decriminalize illegal immigration, and said would they launch a referendum against the risk of a migrant "invasion."

Italy's southern border has made the country a favorite target for undocumented migrants from African and Middle Eastern countries who try to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach Europe.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has recorded total sea arrivals to Europe in 2015 at 1,004,356 or almost five times the previous year's total of 219,000.

Italian experts have repeatedly said that there was no evidence Islamist extremists could slip into Italy among waves of refugees as the strategy would be full of risks.

In November, however, Italian police announced they had arrested a Tunisian national connected to terror organizations after he entered Italy as part of a group of migrants.

But whether or not there is a risk of terrorists hiding amid illegal migrants, the illegal immigration crime must be reformed as is "damaging and worthless, engulfs courts and hampers investigations," Rodolfo Sabelli, the head of the national association of magistrates in Italy, said in a recent interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Echoing his words, the head of Italian police Alessandro Pansa explained that the illegal immigration crime clutters the offices of the court system. "Italians must understand that we are coping with the situation with humanity but also with great severity," he pointed out. Endit