"Treated like animals and ignored by policy"

Beatrice Borromeo (www.ilfattoquotidiano.it)
Fabrizio Gatti, investigative journalist for L'Espresso who wrote about life in the clandestine "detention centers" for immigrants, is not surprised at all when we ask about of the revolt of Cagliari (yesterday illegal immigrants have occupied the Cagliari airport in Sardinia and there has been a strong reaction from police). He explains: "No wonder that immigrants who are treated like animals, the sky darkened by networks of metal to prevent the escape, can stay calm and take or kill himself or run away in protest and block the runway of an airport."
It is the only way to know what is happening inside the centers? (centers where the illegal immigrants are kept till 180 days to identify and decide if they have to be sent back or have immigration for humanitarian reasons)
Yes, and this is dramatic. There are centers that do not deploy multiple calling cards because there were those who used them to cut their veins.
In 2000, the journalist pretended to be an immigrant from Romania and was in the center for immigrants in Milan. After his article the center has been closed.
There was a steel fence, barbed wire and we were in an iron container. I did in the Corriere della Sera, a report on the hygiene conditions, overcrowding and promiscuity among the boys and girls. There were also sexual violence and an epidemic of scabies.
Then, in 2005, hasbeen captured in the sea of Lampedusa.(small island near Africa, where the most of illegal boats arrive)
I was eight days in that center. The maximum capacity was 190 people, but we were 1200. The toilets did not have the download and go to the bathroom you had to put my feet in the mire of urine and faeces.
What are the worst things you saw?
The absolute isolation of the people trapped and the total violation of constitutional guarantees, as the hearing with a magistrate within 48 hours, plus the ability to seek political asylum.
And the authorities ?
Once the police have played a military 'corridor': immigrants just landed, the weakest, were passed in the middle of two rows of military personnel to their search and slapped on the head. I have seen yelling at someone to sit in Italian or English. And who did not understand the order was being beaten. A boy has been kicked.
What else did the police?
Approached the minors, which in theory would not had to be there and forced them to see pornographic images on their mobile phones.
The centers are also very expensive.
There is a dossier of Doctors Without Borders that only 40 percent of those in the centers is actually repatriated. And our potential asylum seekers, mostly Somalis and Eritreans, are sent back and jailed in Libya through our agreements with Gaddafi.
But the centers are useful in keeping order, at least?
They are a great staging, more useful to reassure Italians that to ensure safety or to discover the identity, intentions or rights of refuge for those arriving.
However, landings have declined.
From 176 000 rejections of 2008 we moved to 106.000 in 2009 and this is an important indicator to understand that fewer people come. But it is mainly due to the economic crisis.
In 2005, when he was a "guest" of the Center of Milan, the maximum period of detention was much lower than today.
It was from eight days to two weeks. The maximum amount allowed by law was 30 days. Then the immigrants were being sent to other centers or sent back to Libya, although their identification was brief.
Today may hold up to six months.
And, moreover, nothing prevents that, once released, can be arrested and detained again. In theory, an irregular leaving the center after six months could cross the street and be arrested again. So, potentially, stay in town can be a life sentence.
he was eight days in Lampedusa. Can you imagine six months there?
No. And since the smaller parties have been excluded from the Parliament , such as PRC and the Greens, . We journalists, if we want to visit one, we must ask with a notice of at least a month, making it impossible to really control the situation. The sense of abandonment for those who are imprisoned is even stronger at that time.