'Making Italy Safer': Rome Opts for Tougher Migration Rules

"I am happy," he wrote on Facebook, calling the legislation "a step forward toward making Italy safer."

The legislation promoted by the interior minister extends the period of detention of illegal migrants to 180 days and sets more strict rules for "humanitarian" asylum, limiting this status to victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, work exploitation, natural disasters and to those in need of urgent medical care.

READ MORE: Radical Alternative: Austria, Italy Propose Migrant Processing at Sea

Salvini said the bill would reduce the financial burden of "excessive" immigration, allow faster expulsions of "fake refugees" and immigrants with criminal records, and strip terrorists of citizenship.

"If you come into my home and deal drugs, I'll escort you back to where you came from," the Italian Interior Minister told a news conference, commenting on the decree.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte defended the bill, saying it aimed to overhaul regulations on immigration to align them with EU standards, according to the Ansa news agency. Conte argued his government did not plan to send people out overnight but rather to make repatriation process more effective. According to the Prime Minister, there would be "the system of protection", while the bill simply aims "avoiding abuses."