An investigation by Italian newspaper Il Giornale has exposed an alleged network of migration lawyers who are systematically coaching illegal migrants to falsely claim they are gay — or that they would face family persecution if returned home — as a legal strategy to halt deportations and secure asylum in Italy.
According to the investigation, the practice follows a deliberate formula based on the migrant’s nationality. One Bologna-based lawyer described the scheme to the paper: Nigerian clients are coached to claim homosexuality and the persecution that would follow in their home country.
Migrants of other nationalities are directed instead to allege family harassment as grounds for protection. Scripts, wardrobe advice, and coaching on what to say before asylum commissions are reportedly sold by lawyers and consultants as a packaged service — with migrants paying thousands of euros for access to what amounts to a fraud kit.
The problem extends well beyond Italy’s borders. Just last week, the BBC reported on an identical shadow industry operating in the United Kingdom, where law firms and advisers are coaching migrants to claim gay identity or domestic abuse to remain in the country. Lega MEP Silvia Sardone confirmed the practice is widespread across Europe.