Rome
Reuters
—

President Sergio Mattarella told Elon Musk on Wednesday not to interfere in Italian affairs, after the American billionaire said judges in Rome who block a government anti-immigration initiative should be razed to the ground.

The highly unusual statement from the Italian head of state came against a backdrop of growing tension between the ruling coalition and the judiciary, which has attracted the attention of Musk, a friend of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“These judges must go,” Musk wrote on X on Tuesday, referring to a panel of Rome magistrates who had questioned the legality of a government initiative to detain asylum seekers in Albania – a measure aimed at deterring illegal immigration.

The magistrates’ action meant that a small group of migrants who had just been taken to Albania had to be taken to Italy, casting doubt on Meloni’s flagship plan to crack down on irregular arrivals.

Musk’s comment was on the front pages of Italian newspapers on Wednesday and came just hours before US President-elect Donald Trump gave him a leadership role aimed at creating a more efficient government in the United States.

“Italy is a great democratic country and … knows how to take care of itself,” said Mattarella, who consistently tops opinion polls as the most respected leader in Italy.

“Everyone, especially if, as announced, he is about to assume an important government role in a friendly and allied country, should respect his sovereignty and not set himself the task of instructing it.”

In response, Musk issued a statement through his Italian representative Andrea Stroppa, expressing “respect” for Mattarella and the Italian Constitution, but reaffirming his intention to “continue to express his views freely.”

Saying that he delivered the same message in a “friendly” phone conversation with Meloni, Musk also expressed hope that relations between Italy and the US would become even stronger and said he looked forward to meeting Mattarella soon.

Although Meloni did not comment on the American entrepreneur’s comments on social media, Deputy Prime Minister and hard-right party leader Matteo Salvini welcomed them. “@elonmusk is right,” he said on X on Tuesday.

The controversy centers on a ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU in October, which stated that no country of origin can be considered safe if even part of it is dangerous – a position that Italy’s policy of attempting to repatriate. visa-free migrants to their home countries.

The Court of Justice ruling referred to a Czech case but applies to the entire European Union and came as Meloni’s government was building detention centers in Albania charged with processing migrants picked up at sea when they tried to reach Italy.

The centers are intended to speed up repatriations, but the court in Rome said this should not happen until the Court of Justice provides further clarification.

As a result, the two small groups of migrants brought to Albania in the past three weeks were almost immediately transferred to Italy, leaving the plan in legal limbo.

Italy’s Supreme Court will review the legality of the Rome court’s decision in early December, but the final word will likely remain with the Court of Justice, legal experts say.

An ECJ official said on Wednesday that the Luxembourg-based court could take months, or at least weeks, to clarify whether Italy can legally repatriate migrants to countries it considers safe, such as Egypt, Tunisia and Bangladesh.