Rome - Italian lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to controversial legislation that makes illegal immigration a punishable offence and allows mayors to form civilian anti-crime patrols in towns and cities. The bill was approved by 157 votes for to 124 against, in the upper house Senate. The lower house Chamber of Deputies had already approved the package in May.
A provision to triple the time illegal immigrants can be detained in holding centres, is also included in the package which is now law.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government relied on confidence votes in both houses of parliament to ensure approval of the measures which are strongly supported by the ruling coalition's junior partner, the anti-immigration Northern League party.
Italy's centre-left opposition, the Catholic Church and human rights activists have slammed what they say is the criminalisation of would-be immigrants.
The law won't help defend Italian citizens from crime and "seriously violates the civil rights of immigrants whose work is indispensable to keep thousands of businesses going," said leading centre-left Democratic Party senator, Anna Finocchiaro.
But in his response Maurizio Gasparri from Berlusconi's People of Freedom party said the government "is proud" of achieving an objective which helps fulfill promises to "combat crime".
Under the provisions, people entering Italy without permission face fines of up to 10,000 euros (14,084 dollars), while anyone renting housing to an illegal immigrant faces up to three years in prison.
Critics also allege the citizen-patrols would amount to vigilante groups who are likely to harass foreigners.
But Interior Minister and senior Northern League official, Roberto Maroni, has said the patrols would mostly consist of unarmed, retired police officers.
Despite enjoying a clear parliamentary majority, the government was defeated in April when, in a secret ballot, lawmakers rejected the proposal to extend from two to six months the period during which illegal immigrants can be kept in the holding centres.
Through a vote of confidence, lawmakers from the governing coalition are compelled to vote for the government since a defeat would force it to resign.
Berlusconi won elections in April 2008 on an anti-crime platform, promising also to curb illegal immigration which, according to surveys, many Italian associate with a growing security problem in their towns and cities.
Amid criticism from the Vatican and the United Nations Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, Italy in May began returning to Libya would-be immigrants rescued or intercepted at sea in international waters.
The UNHCR asked the Italian government to readmit into the country some of the African migrants who have been sent back to Libya, arguing that they are likely to be fleeing persecution, and are in need of international protection.
But the request was turned down with Berlusconi lauding an agreement reached in 2008 with Tripoli that he said aims to combat "criminals" who exploit the plight of migrants by organizing clandestine voyages across the Mediterranean.
Under the deal, migrants intercepted in Italian waters, or those who manage to land on the country's shores, would continue to be detained in Italian holding centres to determine whether they are political refugees and thus eligible to receive asylum and avoid deportation.
According to the Italian government, an extension of the period during which migrants can be kept at the holding centres, is rendered necessary to allow for their proper identification.
Some 36,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea in 2008, with around 30,000 landing on the islet of Lampedusa which lies between Sicily and North Africa.
