The deceit of the state asylum system in Enna

During the visits which have been made since March 2015 to the extraordinary reception centres in the province of Enna, we always had difficulties to understand how the contracts for institutions through a public tender in the reception system for asylum seekers in the province were awarded.

The Right of Asylum becomes a Utopia

In the last few weeks, while the news in the newspapers has focussed on other events, Italy has continued to deny young migrants a future and a hope: those running from the hands of terrorists, from “democratic” bombs, from multinationals, from slavery, from the desert and the sea, are ending up under a bridge or in a doorway.

The hope of which we speak is called international protection, which today seems little more than a utopia – both for those who have been in Italy for some time, and those who have arrived in recent days. In the midst of almost total silence, the Italian government has signed or revived agreements with various African nations (Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria, Gambia), covered by large sums of money, both to impede departures headed for Europe and to promptly repatriate those who are not stopped by the desert, the traffickers or the sea.

When it’s better being senior

Last week we were in the surroundings of Agrigento, meeting the migrants of a CAS* in Canicattì.

As soon as we arrived we immediately noticed the big size of the facility. The IPAB** “Burgio Corsello” is divided into two areas: one reserved to senior people, which has been operable for some time, while the other one has been destined for migrants. At the moment, 35 young men mainly from Nigeria, aged between 20 and 30 years, live there. They all arrived at Canicattì about 2 years ago.

On 24th August, the delegation of LasciateCIEntrare visited the CARA* of Mineo

Along the access road to the centre are many dilapidated houses in the fields. For some time, it has been witnessed that there are often women from Nigeria living in the centre prostituting themselves.

We meet young people on bicycles or walking; they are going to the surrounding villages, which are far from the centre. The reception centre of Mineo is visible from afar. From the outside it looks like an urban suburb district with its multi-coloured two-storied single-family homes; the same as those in the Sigonella military base for American officers. Everything is fenced, but, already visible from the outside, we discover some "Villette-Bazaars". Within the centre, a few migrants run real shops with clothes and food. (It would have been desirable to check how the distribution of rooms and houses is handled, because all the houses are used apparently as minimarkets, but we didn’t get the permission). This actuates an underground economy: for some it means debt, for others enrichment.

The Endless Waiting

Finally after a year and three months of waiting endlessly, in these days a few guests from the SPRAR* centres in Piana del Belice, run by the Quadrifoglio Cooperative, undergo their fateful interview in front of the territorial sub-commission at the prefecture of Agrigento, which is going to accept or refuse their asylum request.

Even though the auditions had been scheduled for 9 o’clock in the morning, several structural delays made some young men wait for hours before they could proceed to their interview. Up to now the Agrigento commission has 1500 pending asylum-requests to examine. Since its foundation in May it has been examining only 60. When we add those recently arrived and the people with higher priority – refugees that are in aparticularly vulnerable state – it becomes clear that the waiting times become longer and longer. 

The Cas/Sprar of piazza Armerina managed by the association Don Bosco 2000

On May 25, we have been invited to visit the reception centre of Piazza Armerina managed by the association Don Bosco 2000, which has 46 accommodation places for first reception and further 50 places as part of the SPRAR* project. The association Don Bosco 2000 has been active in the field of reception since 2001 and currently manages also another reception project in the city of Aidone (EN).