Third of migrants in Italy refuse ID

(ANSA) - Rome, September 10 - About a third of the migrants that have reached Italy so far this year have refused to be identified, according to Italian police.
    Syrians and Eritreans are among those most likely to refuse to be identified upon arrival, forensic police chief Daniela Stradiotto told a parliamentary commission. Out of the 122,000 people that have arrived on Italian shores this year, 41,000 people have refused identification. EU regulation requires immigrants' asylum applications to be handled by the country they first reach. But many of the migrants do not wish to stay in Italy, rather they are hoping to reach countries such as Germany, Sweden and Britain.
    Stradiotto said the offices managing migrant arrivals and identifications in Italy were sufficiently staffed. However, many migrants are refusing the process and regulation prevents police from holding them for more than 12 hours, or forcing them through photo and fingerprint ID procedures.
    "If the foreigner refuses to be identified then it is not possible to proceed," she said.
    She said new rules were needed to allow police to hold immigrants for up to 72 hours in order to try to force them to be identified.