Italy to Ban SIM Cards for Migrants Without Residence Permits

The representatives of Fratelli d’Italia have proposed to ban the use of anonymous SIM cards for foreigners who do not have a residence permit as an effort to strengthen control over communications.

The proposal was made by Giovanni Donzelli and Francesco Michelotti, who argue that “ghost SIM cards” are often used by people who cannot be identified, so by banning them, there will be more transparency, Schengen.News reports.

The discussion unfolded during the debate on the new Security bill. It was also mentioned that those who facilitate the misuse of SIM cards could risk losing the right to purchase phone cards from six months to two years.

Italian Opposition Does Not Support New Changes Proposed for Security Bill

Officials from political forces such as +Europa, the Five Stars Movement and the Green and Left Alliance have pointed out that this measure can affect vulnerable people. This means that many migrants would be unable to communicate, find jobs or even obtain documents.

As Trieste All News reports, Stefania Ascari from the Five Stars Movement has highlighted that by approving this bill, the government would “legalise a ghostly condition” for migrants, helping the social integration of migrants to be even more challenging than it already is.

The first reading approval of Article 32 has to be done in the Chamber to later move to an examination by the Senate. This is where most discussions regarding the matter are expected to occur.

Italy Remains Migrants’ ‘Favorite’ Destination

According to ISTAT, the Italian Institution for Statistics, the immigration waves of foreigners to Italy were quite intense, with 697,000 people coming to the country in total.

Noi Italia has also revealed that the number of foreigners is on the rise. Over five million foreigners were living in Italy by 2023, with 111,000 people coming to the country in 2023 alone.

Foreigners represented 8.7 per cent of all Italian residents in the country in 2023.

The most popular regions in Italy, where 85 per cent of residence permits are issued, include Lombardy, Lazio, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.

Source: https://schengen.news/italy-to-ban-sim-cards-for-migrants-without-residence-permits/