Undocumented Migrants in Italy. A Study of the Regularization in Time of Covid-19

Abstract

This study aims to examine the phenomenon of undocumented migration in Italy from a sociological and normative perspective. The regularization of migrants facilitated by the May 19, 2020, Decreto Rilancio is the subject of this study. The historical and social background of the introduction of this measure shall be considered when comparing the legislative provisions with earlier regularizations. In contrast to other regularizations, the paper seeks to identify distinctions and similarities, focusing on how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the preceding regularization. In this context, the research shows the similarities between the two main regulations (Bossi-Fini Law and Decreto Rilancio) promoted in the last 20 years, even if in the intervening period other migratory regularizations with a lower numerical impact have been promoted. Moreover, the study aims to understand the effect of migrants on the public opinion during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis focuses on the daily interaction between native and migrant groups in the pre- and post-regularization phases. Similarly, the perception of immigration as a problem has diminished because of the presence of the virus. Currently, the public interest is always high, though not at the level seen before the pre-pandemic period.