Italy in the Spotlight Over Hardline Immigration Policies

Human rights groups are expressing concern over new immigration policies in Italy that seem designed to target Europe's Roma and Sinti Gypsy populations.

Europe's top human rights watchdog on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over the conservative Italian government's hardline immigration policies, including plans to make illegal immigration a crime and a controversial census of Sinti and Roma Gypsies in Italy.

Italy is home to around 160,000 Roma Gypsies. About half of them were born in Italy and have Italian citizenship. But many come from Romania or parts of the former yugoslavia. In the last year the Italian government has demolished a nnumber of Gypsy camps and the Gypsy census seems designed promote discriminatory policies and "xenophobia" in the country, according to human rights groups.

© Zingaro. I am a gipsy too.

• Impact of Failed US Immigration Reform on President Bush
• Immigration's Benefit to the European Union
• UK Phasing Out Low-skilled immigration
• US Immigration Reform
• Not So Comprehensive Immigration Reform for the US
• European Union Immigration Reform
• Use 411 Canada to find a good immigration lawyer for Canada
• Seen that? - France Tightens Family Immigration