TIRANA, Albania, May 28, (AP): Italian authorities said Tuesday they have transferred a group of 26 rejected migrants to Italian-run detention centers in Albania. The Italian navy ship Spica left the Italian port of Brindisi on Tuesday and docked in the Albanian port of Shengjin, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of the capital, Tirana, with 26 migrants, government sources in Rome said.

The transfer was also confirmed by sources at the port. From there, migrants are usually transferred to a second detention center in Gjader, 20 kilometers (12 miles) farther inland. The Italian government has not released the migrants' nationalities or other details. Both facilities in Albania, which are run by Italian authorities, were originally built to process asylum requests of people intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea seeking a better life in Europe by Italy.

But after opening in October, Italian courts have stopped authorities from using them and small groups of migrants sent there have returned to Italy. In March, Italy’s far-right government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni approved a decree that expanded the use of the Albanian fast-track asylum processing centers to include the detention of rejected asylum-seekers with deportation orders.

It is not clear how long the migrants may be held in Albania. In Italy they can be detained for up to 18 months pending deportation. No information on the fate of the first group of 40 rejected migrants transferred in April is available. Local media have issued unconfirmed reports that 16 of them have been turned back to Italy.

The Albanian centers, which opened in October, welcomed three groups totaling 73 migrants in October, November and January. They spent only a few hours in Albania and were returned to Italy after Italian magistrates refused to validate their detention in the non-EU country. The November 2023 agreement between Italy and Albania - worth nearly 800 million euros over five years - allows up to 3,000 migrants intercepted by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month to be sheltered in Albania and vetted for possible asylum in Italy or repatriation.