The Italian capital is usually quiet and relatively empty in August as most residents are on their annual vacations.

On Saturday, 500 law enforcement officers were deployed to evict the 800 migrants, mainly from Eritrea and Ethiopia, who had been squatting in the 1950s-era former office building near the Termini central rail station.

They were placed on buses and taken away for identification. Some people did try to block the street toward the station, but police reinforcements were brought in to be deployed against protesters.

Other people locked out of the building, which has been bought for redevelopment, spent the night on the square surrounded by their suitcases.

The building had been occupied by squatters since 2013, and in 2015 a judge ordered their eviction.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, voiced concern and called for a solution: "UNHCR hopes local and national authorities can find an immediate solution for the people currently sleeping under the stars and ensure adequate integration measures for those with a right to international protection," the UNHCR office in Italy said in a statement on Sunday.

An election issue

While human rights groups criticized the eviction, some politicians placed it within the context of Italy's migration policy. Senator Stefano Pedica of the center-left Democratic Party called for the migrants to be moved to "more decent" premises.

"We have to continue down this road, enforcing the law and no longer allowing anyone to occupy public or private buildings," he said.

Immigration is a main issue on Italy's political agenda and there are general elections due next year. After a rise in migrant arrivals from Libya at the beginning of the year, they have decreased by 4 percent year-on-year, with about 97,000 people reaching Italy, mainly from Libya.

Migrants aboard a boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa

Working with Libya

Italy has helped authorities in Libya train members of the coastguard and upgrade the fleet to stop people-smugglers from bringing passengers over the Mediterranean in dangerous boats.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti said last week: "It was important to intervene on the other side of the Mediterranean and we have focused on Libya. It seemed difficult, but it now appears that something is moving," he added. Last year, more than 11,000 migrants arrived in the first two weeks of August, while this year over the same period, the number fell to 2,000. The number of migrant arrivals in Spain has increased.

Italy has also sought to curb the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) rescuing migrants in the sea and a number have halted their operations.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Benefits for refugees and Italian residents Tiny Sant'Alessio in Aspromonte in southern Italy has been welcoming families and migrants for three years in a project which not only provides humanitarian assistance but brings with it invaluable economic and social benefits.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Deserted Italian village Over the years, the village of Sant'Alessio has dwindled to only 330 inhabitants, many of them elderly. The steep cobbled streets are deserted and most windows are shuttered, residents having left over the years for better work opportunities in Turin, Milan or even as far away as Australia.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Italian cooking lessons for migrants However, in an attempt to reverse the trend, the council has been renting eight empty flats to house up to 35 migrants at a time as part of the national SPRAR network (Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees). With just 26,000 places, the network is only a small part of Italy's reception system, which hosts more than 176,000 people. Here, migrants attend an Italian cooking lesson.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life 'A little movement is a good thing' Migrants and residents spend time together at the main bar of Sant'Alessio. Bar owner Celestina Borrello, whose son left years ago to find work in Belgium, says: "the village was emptying, so if there's a little movement now, it's a good thing. We know what it means to leave our land," she adds.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Humanitarian aid to also fight depopulation The village is currently home to an Iraqi Kurdish family, young people from Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal and this Gambian mother, Hawa with her baby, Lamin. Everything is done to help the newcomers get back on their feet, from Italian lessons to legal, medical and psychological assistance, vocational training and social activities such as gardening, cooking and dancing classes.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life 'There is a significant economic benefit too' "Our mission is both humane and humanitarian, that's the most important thing," says Stefano Calabro, a police officer who has been mayor of Sant'Alessio since 2009. The project has created full or part-time jobs for 16 people including seven locals - from social workers to Italian teachers and cultural mediators.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Integration on the soccer field It also has prevented the closure of the village's basic services, namely a bar, small supermarket, doctor's surgery and pharmacy. With funds to spend on services, the council has been able to open a small gym open to all residents and upkeep a lush sports field overlooking the valley, where the newcomers regularly challenge the team from a nearby drug rehabilitation center.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Refugees feel welcome After six months to a year here, some of the refugees managed to find work in the region, others headed elsewhere. Salifu, from Ghana decided to stay. Sant'Alessio may not offer much in the way of career opportunities, but a cheerful Salifu says: "We're not going anywhere." After months in Sicily's overcrowded Mineo camp, just small things like quick doctor appointments here seem a luxury.

Refugees bring Italian village back to life Sant'Alessio could be a prototype "Sant'Alessio has been our prototype," says the head of the association behind the project Luigi De Filippis. He points out that there is scope for the project to go across Italy and beyond. "There are vast areas affected by the same depopulation in northern Italy and elsewhere in Europe." Author: Nadine Berghausen



jm/kl (APF, dpa)