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Abstract
The geographic position of Italy gives it the uneasy responsibility of sending back illegal migrants; this is what happens every day, when overloaded boats – often managed by criminal organisations – arrive on the Italian coasts or islands such as Lampedusa. Frequently, large numbers of migrants arrive in poor health and some of these small boats never reach their destination. If migrants are caught, they are moved to a ‘CIE’ (centro di identificazione ed espulsione, which translates as identification and expulsion centre), where they wait to either be sent back to their country of origin or obtain the status of a political refugee. If they successfully cross the Italian border, they start a new life with the status of illegal migrants, and so are labelled ‘criminals’. According to Amnesty International, the rights of detainees do not seem to be fully respected in the CIEs (Amnesty International, 2005).