RR on the Ground: Implementation of the RR Policy, its Impact and State Agents’ Assessment and Perception. Case study: Italy (Executive Summary),

The implementation of Return and Readmission (RR) policies in Italy reveals a reality shaped by legal, administrative, and social factors. This research examines these policies through the lens of key state agents involved in the deportation process, such as law enforcement officers, legal professionals, and non-security state entities. Utilising both desk research and ethnographic fieldwork—including 18 in-depth interviews—this study highlights the challenges and contradictions within Italy’s RR framework, illuminating its broader implications for migrants and state actors. Fieldwork was carried out from October 2024 to January 2025, amid a challenging period in Italy for this research topic. The implementation of returns and readmissions is a hot issue in the country, and while the research was being initiated, significant changes in restrictive laws occurred. This was in addition to Albania's agreement to establish both reception and detention migrant centres, as well as political pressures on judges who opposed validating certain administrative detention cases. Furthermore, administrative detention for migrants in Italy has been the focus of numerous investigations for fundamental rights violations, corruption involving companies operating the centres, and incidents of homicides and suicide attempts. Data were examined across five areas: rights and protections, living conditions, social ties, (im)mobility, and resistance versus compliance. The findings emphasise that many individuals find themselves in a prolonged state of administrative limbo, enduring either forced immobility or precarious mobility due to restrictive migration policies. This analysis significantly examines the inadequate living conditions in administrative detention centres (CPRs), where systemic rights violations, insufficient legal assistance, and subpar healthcare services heighten the vulnerability of detained migrants. Additionally, the research investigates the perception of Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programs, which are frequently viewed as undesirable last resort rather than viable alternatives to forced returns.