Italy has granted political asylum to more than 140,000 people and a further 110,000 requests are being evaluated, while the number of migrants entering the country has fallen by 80 percent since last year, according to figures issued on Tuesday by the interior ministry.
The figures were contained in a new report defending how asylum-seekers are being managed in Italy following the enactment of the government's contested immigration and security decree, which toughens immigration, anti-terrorism and anti-mafia rules.
The report rejected criticism of the legislation, saying that "protection has not changed for those who have fled because they are persecuted or discriminated against, for those who risk the death penalty or torture, for those whose lives are in jeopardy in armed conflicts in their homelands".
Italy's network of SPRAR centres that provide shelter and assistance to migrants has not been dismantled but has been renamed SIPROIMI (system of protection for those with international protection status and unaccompanied foreign minors, the report said.
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