Clinging to the northern tip of Albania’s Adriatic coast, where steep mountains give way to grey-blue surf, Shëngjin lies on the doorstep of Europe. A strip of budget resorts rubs up against a military zone dotted with rusting sea mines. At the village's heart stands a replica of the Statue of Liberty, staring blankly out to sea.
In an apparent play for Western custom, tourists can stay in hotels named after London, Woodrow Wilson and the Twin Towers. Less explicably, a nearby seafood restaurant is covered in portraits of Giorgia Meloni, her face beaming down over plates of grilled squid and cold beer.
Look out of the trattoria’s window, meanwhile, and you’ll spot Shëngjin’s new claim to fame: an offshore detention centre administered by Italian police.
The compound, which opened at the start of this year, is clearly visible from across the harbour, the Italian tricolore flying over its high, steel walls. Few pay any notice. The holidaymakers who throng the pizzerias and twerk in Shëngjin’s bars seem oblivious to its presence. When I try to take a photo, a security guard angrily orders me away.
Had the UK government got its way, it would be Keir Starmer's flabby visage adorning cafes, and the deportation centre would be flying the Union Jack. In May, the Prime Minister announced plans to strike a deal with Albania to send failed asylum seekers there. But he was swiftly rebuffed by his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama: the Italians were first in line.
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