Italian President Sergio Mattarella issued a strong rebuke to Elon Musk on Wednesday following Musk’s public criticism of recent Italian court decisions blocking the government’s plan to process some asylum-seekers in Albania.
Musk, anticipated to take on an advisory role in Donald Trump’s incoming administration, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “these judges need to go,” referencing a recent court ruling against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s immigration agreement with Albania.
In another post, Musk questioned Italian democracy, writing, “This is unacceptable. Do the people of Italy live in a democracy or does an unelected autocracy make the decisions?” His comments referred to a ruling by a Rome court on Monday that blocked the government’s attempt to transfer seven migrants, who were rescued at sea, to Albania for processing.
Monday’s ruling marks the second legal obstacle to Meloni’s plan to outsource the processing of some male asylum-seekers to Albania. The decision brought the asylum-seekers to Italy for processing, challenging the government’s broader immigration agenda.
Though Mattarella did not address Musk by name, he issued an unusually forceful statement calling for respect for Italy’s sovereignty, particularly from figures expected to hold influential positions in allied nations. “Italy is a great democratic country and … knows how to take care of itself while respecting its Constitution,” Mattarella said in a statement via his spokesperson. The president added, “Anyone, particularly if they are about to assume an important role of government in a friendly and allied country, must respect its sovereignty and cannot presume to issue directives.”
Musk, who has shown support for Meloni and met with her in Rome multiple times, joined her at an awards event in September during the U.N. General Assembly. Although Musk later clarified rumors by posting, “We are not dating,” the incident highlighted his connection with Meloni’s administration.
In recent years, Musk has not shied from making controversial remarks about global leaders and policies. Earlier this year, he criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and warned of potential civil unrest in the U.K. He has also engaged in debates with a Brazilian supreme court justice over misinformation and sparred with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro over alleged election fraud.
The legal setbacks around Meloni’s immigration policy have frustrated her far-right government, which seeks ways to alleviate Italy’s migrant processing burdens. The Albanian processing centers, promoted as a potential model for Europe, were a central element in her immigration crackdown. The facilities, which cost Italy an estimated 670 million euros ($730 million) over five years, were intended to process asylum-seekers externally as a deterrent.
The Italian courts have since referred the cases to the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg to determine if migrants’ countries of origin are safe for repatriation. There is no timeline yet on the court’s decision.
Opposition leaders and human rights advocates criticize the Albanian outsourcing strategy, suggesting that Italy’s investment would be better spent on domestic processing centers and asserting that the practice may violate international law. The centers, which finally opened in October after delays due to infrastructure issues, are managed by Italy under Italian jurisdiction, with Albanian security personnel stationed outside the facilities.