2009-07-03 02:47:00 -

ROME (AP) - Italy's parliament has given final approval to legislation that allows unarmed citizen patrols and imposes tough measures aimed at fighting illegal immigration and boosting security on the streets.
The legislation calls for jail terms for people who house illegal immigrants and lengthens the amount of time migrants can spend in detention.
It has drawn the criticism of center-left politicians and human rights groups. Amnesty International said the measures «affect negatively the vulnerable people in the country» and «heavily impinge on the rights of migrants.
The conservative government of Premier Silvio Berlusconi insists the measure will increase security, a key electoral promise. Many Italians link crime to illegal immigration, and the government has taken a tough stance against both.
The new legislation makes entering or staying in Italy without permission a crime punishable by a fine of ¤5,000-¤10,000 ($6,840-$13,670). Migrants would not face prison, but the legislation allows up to three years in prison for anyone who knowingly rents housing to an illegal immigrant at the time a lease is signed or extended.
The package also lengthens the amount of time migrants can spend in detention from two to six months. It allows citizen patrols to help increase security in Italian cities and towns _ a measure critics say paves the way for vigilante justice.
Adding to such fears was the recent creation of a right-wing patrol group billing itself as the Italian National Guard, whose uniforms bore Fascist and Nazi-like symbols. After the group announced it would soon start patrolling the streets, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni promised that any right-wing patrol that can be associated with Fascist and Nazi-era guards would not be permitted as a citizen patrol.
Maroni said Thursday that he would start meeting with local officials next week to work details and set limits for the patrols.
The measures were passed Thursday with a 157-124 vote in the Senate. The government also won three confidence votes in the past two days tied to the measures.
The lower house approved the package in May. Both houses are controlled by Berlusconi's conservatives, with the center-left opposition voting against the measures.
The passage in the Senate was tense, with some opposition senators holding up signs criticizing the government.

Critics say the measures would further marginalize those living in Italy illegally without actually improving security. Italy ranks fourth in the number of asylum claims made each year _ after the United States, Canada and France.
«The Italian authorities are responsible for all people living on the territory of the country regardless of how they have come to be there,» said David Diaz-Jogeix of Amnesty International.
Some 36,000 migrants from Africa and elsewhere arrived in Italy by boat last year. Italy's largely unpatrolled coastline and islands close to Africa make it a destination of choice for smuggling operations working out of Libya and other countries.
As part of its crackdown, Italy has also started sending back to Libya boatloads of migrants it intercepts in international waters without first screening them for asylum claims.