The interior ministry has clarified that migrants will not be forcibly transferred from the southern town of Riace following the arrest of Mayor Domenico Lucano on charges of aiding illegal immigration.
Lucano's administration has been frequently lauded by commentators for the way migrants were integrated into the local community and helped revive the small town in Calabria, whose population was dwindling.
On Sunday the ministry said migrants who wished to stay in Riace will be free to do so, although the project to provide asylum seekers with accomodation and other forms of help is set to scrapped over alleged "serious anomalies".
At the weekend, there were reports the migrants would be made to leave town. The government has been accused of dismantling the Riace model of integration by several critics.
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