Two arrested and 25 people taken for immigration checks as government hails a return to legality.Italian police cleared a derelict, occupied building in Rome's eastern suburb of Tor Sapienza at dawn on Tuesday. The building, on Via Cesare Tallone, is synonymous with drug dealing and crime.  Officers from the state police, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza, backed by Rome's municipal police, searched the unfinished concrete shell floor by floor with sniffer dogs. They identified 25 people without identity documents, all of whom were taken to the Questura's immigration office. Repatriation procedures have reportedly begun for some.   Two men, reportedly from the Gambia and Nigeria, were arrested for possession with intent to supply after being caught trying to dump drugs. Police seized about 2kg of marijuana, crack and cocaine, roughly €4,000 in cash, a small-calibre pistol with ammunition, knives and six stolen scooters. Previous evictions The eviction occurred days after local residents marched through the area, demanding action from authorities.   The building has been cleared before, in 2019 and again in 2023. It made national headlines in May, when a 32-year-old Colombian woman was reportedly held there and raped for three days by five men. Residents marched last Thursday demanding action after a string of crimes, and amid rumours on social media of people under the effects of fentanyl in the area, which health authorities and police have denied.   The Questura said checks would continue. A group of around 10 people tried to reoccupy the building soon afterwards but was stopped, and police promised a 24-hour guard. Political reaction Prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on X that the government was working "to bring back legality and security". Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi called the operation the latest in "a long list" of buildings cleared nationwide.   A Tor Sapienza è stato nuovamente sgomberato il palazzo occupato di via Tallone, da tempo al centro delle denunce degli abitanti del quartiere per degrado, occupazioni abusive e spaccio.Continua il lavoro per riportare legalità e sicurezza nei quartieri e dare risposte ai… pic.twitter.com/TYnJRSaZhN — Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 29, 2026   Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri, of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD), said he had personally asked prefect Lamberto Giannini to act. He urged the owner to demolish the building quickly to prevent new occupations. Mauro Caliste, president of Rome's Municipio V, echoed the call. The right-wing Fratelli d'Italia Rome group also welcomed the raid, as did the and the centrist Azione party which called for lighting, patrols and services to follow. CasaPound Tuesday's eviction raises the question once again of when authorities will act in relation to CasaPound, the far-right movement, whose headquarters looms over the debate on evictions.   CasaPound has occupied a state-owned building in Via Napoleone III, near Termini station, since 2003. Opposition parties have long accused the government of favouritism in leaving it untouched while other squats are cleared. Piantedosi said on 10 September that the building is on the Rome prefecture's list of properties to be cleared, and that it "will be returned to its owner". No date has been announced. Photo Questura Roma

The right-wing Fratelli d'Italia Rome group also welcomed the raid, as did the and the centrist Azione party which called for lighting, patrols and services to follow.