By JOHN TAGLIABUE

Italy Moves to Tighten Immigration Laws After a Stormy Debate

ROME, June 4 — Fulfilling a campaign pledge to get tough with illegal immigrants, the conservative majority in Parliament approved legislation today that will require immigrants to show proof of employment, limit their stay to the duration of their work contracts and make it easier to expel them for breaking the law. The bill also makes it more difficult for immigrants to reunite their families. Children of immigrants will be allowed to join their parents in Italy only if they are under 18.

Passage of the bill, by 293 to 279, in the lower house of Parliament, came after a stormy debate. Opposition politicians denounced its provisions as unjust and racist.

Foes of the law note the paradox that Italy, which sent millions of migrants abroad a century ago and again after World War II, should adopt some of Europe's most stringent anti-immigrant legislation.

While Italians chafe under the influx of immigrants, many of the country's industries rely heavily on their labor to perform arduous tasks that young Italians no longer will.

For instance, steel mills and leather tanning factories are largely kept running by immigrant laborers.

Prodded by the recent electoral successes of anti-immigrant conservative parties, governments across Europe have been hastening to devise stronger barricades. One such measure was adopted at a meeting last week in Rome, where the interior ministers of the European Union's 15 member nations agreed to create of an international immigration police force to be stationed at heavily used airports and seaports.

But the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has taken the lead in the struggle. In negotiations to form a coalition cabinet last year, Mr. Berlusconi accepted the demands of the Northern League and its mercurial leader, Umberto Bossi, for tough restrictions on immigration and tougher treatment of immigrants already in Italy.

The law, which remains to be ratified by the upper house, allows foreigners to be given residence permits only if they already have contracts for employment in Italy. The law also foresees tougher penalties than those now in force for smugglers who bring in immigrants.

The debate flared anew in March after nearly 1,000 immigrants, mainly Iraqi Kurds, arrived by boat in Sicily. Defending the bill, Deputy Interior Minister Alfredo Mantovano argued that its provisions differed little from legislation being prepared by some of Italy's major allies in the European Union.

"We do not pretend that this will be a solution to all our problems," he said, "but it does provide an important and serious contribution."

Graziella Mascia, a deputy of the Refounded Communist Party, a leftist splinter group, denounced the measure, saying there were "not sufficient adjectives to describe this law." She then came up with several: "It is unjust, fascist, disgusting, enslaving and racist."

Luciano Violante, leader of the largest opposition party, the Democrats of the Left, said the bill would create a "climate of fear and hatred" against immigrants. He raised concerns about the prospect of fingerprinting immigrants.

But Italian officials said after the interior ministers' meeting last week that they had plans to introduce an identification card for all Italians that would require fingerprints.