The German Interior Ministry confirmed the handover of a Syrian citizen to the authorities currently ruling Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. This meant that deportations to this country, which had been interrupted since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, were resumed. DW.
The decision by the German government, led since May by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, follows a shift in immigration policy that has taken a stricter line on the residence permits of foreigners with criminal records. According to DW, in addition to deporting the Syrian citizen, the authorities also recently deported an Afghan citizen convicted of assault. With this procedure, Germany is carrying out deportations to countries that are officially considered unsafe due to their history of violence and persecution for the second time in a week.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt justified the approach with the words: “Deportations to Syria and Afghanistan must be possible. Our society has a legitimate interest in criminals leaving our country.” According to DW, Dobrindt is of the opinion that protecting society and maintaining internal security requires that people who have been convicted of serious crimes and have no grounds for asylum can be sent back to their countries of origin without exception.
Until this week, the federal government had suspended deportations to Syria for thirteen years. The decision had its origins in the escalation of violence and repression during the pro-democracy protests of the so-called Arab Spring, a context in which millions of Syrians fled to seek refuge in Europe and other regions, according to DW. Despite the ongoing hostilities in various parts of the country, the overthrow of Al Assad and the creation of new authorities changed the analysis of the security situation on Syrian territory and reinvigorated the debate on the return of refugees.
Previously, the executive branch led by Angela Merkel pointed out that there were insufficient conditions to ensure the well-being or integrity of people displaced into Syria, which is why Berlin opted to maintain a moratorium on such measures. However, the government’s change of course under Merz’s leadership opened the door to a selective deportation policy aimed at migrants with criminal convictions, DW reports.
Chancellor Merz himself said in November that he had raised the need to resume deportations with the new Syrian interim president Ahmed al Shara – also known as “Abu Mohamed al Golani”, former leader of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS). Merz explained: “The civil war in Syria is over. There are no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany, so we can start repatriations.” However, DW explained that Merz qualified his statements shortly afterwards and made it clear that Germany would not deport people who had fled political or religious persecution and applied for asylum.
The measure sparked mixed reactions inside and outside Germany, especially as international organizations maintain the unsafe country status for Syria and Afghanistan due to the ongoing hostilities in certain regions, the fragmentation of state institutions and the risk of reprisals against returnees. According to DW, human rights organizations point out that the decision could violate international protection principles and there are increasing calls for a review of the deportation criteria.
The case of the deported Syrian is the direct implementation of this new approach as part of the federal government’s efforts to tighten controls and reduce the presence of foreigners with criminal convictions. The process included coordination with authorities named after the formation of Syria’s new government after former President Bashar al Assad left the country as jihadists and rebels consolidated control of Damascus towards the end of 2024, DW reported.
The resumption of deportations to Syria and Afghanistan is among the most important changes made by Merz’s cabinet, which has pushed forward a comprehensive review of immigration and asylum policies that have prevailed in Germany since the start of the Syrian civil war. These measures are part of a broader immigration reform program that, as described by DW, aims to restrict the stay of foreigners with criminal records and thus reduce the burden on the German judicial and penal system.
Civil society organizations, opposition parties and representatives of migrant communities expressed concerns about the safety and future of returnees, as well as the possibility that German policies could encourage other European countries to adopt similar policies, DW reported. The next steps of the executive branch and the successive cases of deportations are now attracting significant international attention.
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