European Commission to look into Italy's new immigration bill

The European Commission announced it would examine the new measures to determine whether they comply with EU norms, warning that automatic expulsion rules in the legislation are not acceptable.

European Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said that "automatic expulsion rules for entire categories are not acceptable."

Under the new law illegal immigration becomes a criminal offence, punishable with a fine of up to 10,000 euros ($14,000). The amount of time that illegal migrants can be detained in holding centers has been increased to six months but immigrants can also be deported immediately.

Anyone caught housing an illegal immigrant could face jail. Parents registering a baby's birth have to present papers to prove that they are legal residents.

The law bill also expressly allows the creation of unarmed citizen patrols, to help police and soldiers fight crime.

Widespread criticism from opposition and Vatican

The legislation has drawn criticism of center-left politicians and human rights groups. Amnesty International said the measures "affected negatively the vulnerable people in the country" and "heavily impinge on the rights of migrants."

Opposition groups denounced the measures as being reminiscent of Italy's fascist era. Dario Franceschini, head of the Democratic Party, compared it to the racial puity laws introduced by fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the 1930s.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Berlusconi was re-elected in 2008 on a law-and-order ticket

The bill was also criticized by the Catholic Church. Bishop Agostino Marchetto of the Vatican's Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants said he was concerned about the new measures, warning that they must not become a model for European integration policy.

Immigration central to Berlusconi's 2008 campaign

The law was introduced by Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League which is a crucial ally for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government.

"We want to tell citizens that the government is acting to guarantee their security," he said on Thursday, after the government won three confidence votes on the bill.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had made tougher immigration rules a cornerstone of the election campaign that saw him return to power in May 2008. Last year about 36,000 migrants arrived in Italy mostly coming by boat from Lybia across the Mediterranean.

ai/AFP/AP/Reuters
Editor: Chuck Penfold