Exorbitant Spending and Failed Migration Policy: Italy’s Meloni Government Wastes Millions on Albanian Detention Centers

In a striking example of government mismanagement that should concern every American who values national sovereignty and fiscal responsibility, Italy’s right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni has wasted millions on migrant detention centers in Albania — facilities that have barely functioned.

The Gjader detention center was reportedly operational for only five days in 2024 but cost Italian taxpayers an astonishing €114,000 per day. This revelation comes from a detailed report by NGO ActionAid in partnership with the University of Bari, which exposes the staggering amount spent on this failed policy initiative. The total expenditure for detaining just 20 migrants between mid-October and late December reached €570,000, yet all detainees were released within hours.

How Did We Get Here? Reckless Spending on Ineffective Border Control

The Meloni administration struck an agreement with Albania to establish these centers to expel migrants intercepted in the central Mediterranean who lack asylum rights. Yet bureaucratic roadblocks — notably judicial resistance — rendered these centers largely inactive. Courts refused to validate detentions there, forcing reliance on costly temporary holding rather than effective repatriation.

Moreover, the initial construction costs for Gjader and Shengjin facilities tallied up to a staggering €74.2 million. This amounts to an average of €153,000 per bed—a figure over seven times higher than comparable centers within Italy where similar places cost just above €21,000 each. Such profligate spending is not just irresponsible; it undermines the principle of prudent stewardship of taxpayer funds.

What Does This Mean for America?

While this exact scenario unfolds across the Atlantic, it bears critical lessons for U.S. policymakers wrestling with border security challenges. When governments channel massive resources into ineffective foreign operations instead of securing their own borders efficiently at home, they jeopardize national security and economic stability alike.

For hardworking American families already burdened by high taxes and inflationary pressures, wasteful overseas expenditures on immigration enforcement serve as a cautionary tale: prioritizing sovereignty means investing smartly in proven domestic solutions rather than costly foreign experiments prone to failure.

The Italian Interior Ministry defends these centers as vital investments promising long-term cost reductions by accelerating repatriations. However, if judicial hurdles continue blocking their operation—as is currently the case—the promised benefits remain speculative at best while the costs are immediate and real.

This fiasco invites urgent reflection: how long will Western governments persist with globalist approaches that sacrifice national interests for unproven projects abroad? How can leaders committed to America First principles leverage such failures to advocate smarter policies emphasizing secure borders and fiscal accountability?

The verdict is clear: unchecked migration policies coupled with lavish spending abroad invite political backlash at home and strain public trust in government competence. Italy’s costly Albanian detention center debacle underscores why America must reject similar misguided approaches—to uphold freedom, protect sovereignty, and preserve economic prosperity.