Why Italy Needs an Immigration Police Force and a Ministry of Integration and ReImmigration

For a British audience, the debate about immigration is closely linked to questions of border control, national sovereignty, social cohesion, integration, and the capacity of public institutions to manage migration effectively. These are issues that have shaped political discussions in the United Kingdom for many years. Italy faces many of the same challenges, but from a different geographical position.

As one of the main entry points into Europe across the Mediterranean, Italy has long been at the centre of migration flows originating from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Yet despite decades of experience, the Italian system still suffers from a significant institutional weakness: it lacks dedicated structures responsible for measuring integration and managing the migration process as a whole.

This problem became particularly evident following a decision issued by the Court of Trieste in June 2026.

The court was asked to determine whether the detention of a foreign national in a Repatriation Detention Centre was lawful. In order to reach its decision, however, the judge had to examine much more than administrative documents or criminal records. The court reconstructed a personal history spanning more than twenty years in Italy, analysing employment, family relationships, housing, social ties and the degree of integration achieved by the individual.

In other words, the judge was required to carry out a comprehensive assessment of integration.

This immediately raises an important question.

Why should such an assessment take place only when a person has already reached the final stage of an immigration procedure and may be facing removal from the country?

A modern state should be capable of evaluating these factors long before a court becomes involved.

Today, various Italian institutions collect fragments of relevant information. Police authorities manage residence permits. Municipalities maintain residency records. Schools monitor educational participation. Social security agencies collect employment data. Social services intervene in vulnerable situations.

Yet no institution is specifically responsible for combining these elements into a coherent assessment of integration.

Italy possesses data, but it lacks a system capable of transforming that data into a clear and consistent public policy.

For this reason, I have long argued that future immigration policy should be based on a straightforward principle: Integration or ReImmigration.

Integration should not be regarded as a vague aspiration. It should become a measurable objective. Language proficiency, employment, respect for the law, participation in community life and stable social and family ties should serve as objective indicators of integration.

Those who integrate successfully should be able to build a stable future in Italy. Those who consistently reject integration should ultimately return to their countries of origin.

However, such a model requires specialised institutions capable of implementing it.

The first necessary reform would be the creation of an Immigration Police Force.

This would not simply be another law enforcement agency. Its role would be to oversee the entire migration pathway, from entry into the country to permanent settlement or return. It would develop specialised expertise in immigration law, identity verification, documentation, integration monitoring and international cooperation.

The second reform would be the establishment of a Ministry of Integration and ReImmigration.

This ministry would be responsible for defining national integration standards, coordinating public policies, measuring outcomes and developing long-term strategies. At the same time, it would oversee lawful and structured ReImmigration policies for individuals who fail to meet the minimum integration requirements established by the state.

The objective would not be to increase bureaucracy. On the contrary, it would be to overcome the current fragmentation of responsibilities.

At present, Italy often reacts to the consequences of migration. What it needs is the ability to govern migration strategically.

The most important lesson of the Trieste case is precisely this. The real challenge does not begin inside a repatriation centre. The real challenge lies in the years beforehand, when the state should be able to determine whether integration is succeeding or failing.

A country that wishes to manage migration effectively must possess the tools necessary to measure integration, identify problems early and apply clear and consistent standards.

Without specialised institutions, immigration policy risks becoming permanently trapped in a cycle of emergencies and reactive measures.

For Italy, the creation of an Immigration Police Force and a Ministry of Integration and ReImmigration would represent a transition from reactive migration management to genuine migration governance.

And that may prove to be one of the most important institutional reforms of the coming years.

Avv. Fabio Loscerbo

Lobbyist registered in the European Union Transparency Register

ID 280782895721-36

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7030-0428

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