Syrian migrants in Germany face uncertain future as government floats repatriation
By Sophie Tanno, CNN
(CNN) — When Germany opened its doors to refugees escaping war in the Middle East, more people arrived from Syria than any other country – finding homes, getting jobs, starting families.
A question mark now hangs over their future, after Germany’s government – which has hardened its stance on immigration amid a surging far right – suggested it could be time for some to return home, voluntarily or not.
Some 1 million Syrians arrived in Germany at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-2016, under former chancellor Angela Merkel. Approximately 1.3 million live in Germany currently, including 25,000 who were born there.
Now, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other conservatives in his coalition cabinet are calling for their repatriation.
Merz this week said that Berlin would approach the issue in a “very concrete matter,” as he signaled that there are “no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can also begin with repatriations.”
While the German government will first and foremost encourage voluntary repatriation, Merz said those who refuse “can, of course, also be deported in the near future,” as he said that the return of Syrians to their homeland would be key to rebuilding the war-torn country.
The German chancellor also revealed he has invited Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to Berlin to discuss the issue.
What’s changed in Syria is that the Assad government is no more, bringing an end to years of civil war. And in Germany, Merz’s coalition is trying to fend off the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Despite Merz’s rhetoric, it remains unclear at this stage how wide-reaching deportations would be. Germany has so far only announced plans to deport Syrians with criminal records.
Since the collapse of Assad’s regime, around 1,300 Syrians – or 0.1% – have voluntarily returned to their homeland, according to Germany’s interior ministry.
Syrians live in Germany under varying legal statuses – some have been granted German citizenship, while others hold permanent residence permits. Over 160,000 Syrians had obtained German citizenship by the end of 2023, Deutsche Welle reported. Those who fall into these categories will not need to leave Germany, CDU politicians said during a coalition debate on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Hundreds of thousands more hold temporary residence permits, which they are granted after receiving a protection status, such as asylum, refugee or subsidiary protection, which applies when neither of the former can be granted and serious harm is threatened in the country of origin.
Temporary residence permits allow foreigners to live and work in Germany, as well as receive government benefits, but mean their ability to remain there is uncertain.
The issue of repatriation is contentious and comes with significant legal hurdles. Meanwhile Syria remains scarred by years of conflict and nationals in Germany are looking on at the debate with mounting worry.
“Merz’s comments are heading in a direction that fuels right-wing desires to deport anyone who doesn’t fit their so-called idea of who belongs in Germany and that’s terrifying,” said Rafif Dawoud, a 33-year-old architect living in Berlin, who migrated from Syria over 12 years ago and is now a German citizen.
Dawoud said that while she knows people who have willingly returned, “talking about sending back people who have been trying to integrate, who see Germany as their second or even first and only home, who actively contribute to this society and economy, well that’s an absolute disgrace.”
Others are concerned about a volatile political situation back home. A retired engineer, who currently lives in Germany but does not hold citizenship, described the overthrow of Assad’s government as a “historical necessity” while questioning its replacement.
“We must ask whether the country is moving toward a state that mirrors European and specifically German values, respecting freedoms and human principles, or whether dictatorship and a new totalitarian religious system are simply being reproduced under a different name,” the man, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN.
Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.
Speaking to CNN, Akram al-Bunni, a Syrian political activist who was jailed under Assad’s regime, said the German government must take into consideration the nature of the country’s new authority, which he believes could expose many Syrians to new persecution. The security situation must also be considered, al-Bunni said, stating that weapons remain “uncontrolled in the hands of extremist factions.”
Johann Wadephul, Germany’s foreign minister and a politician in Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), hinted at some of the problems awaiting Syrians on a recent visit to Damascus, when he compared the country’s devastation to “images we saw from Germany in 1945 after World War II” and expressed doubt that large numbers of Syrian migrants would return voluntarily.
But after receiving backlash from within his own party over the comments, Wadephul has sought to stress that his overall view remains in alignment with his party.
Other politicians, particularly on Germany’s left, have criticized the plans. In an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel, Lamya Kaddor, of Germany’s Green Party, said “to believe that mass deportations (to Syria) are now possible underestimates the reality on the ground.”
The Association of German-Syrian Aid Organizations has spoken out against the government’s plans, with its chairman Nahla Osman saying the debate represents a huge blow for Syrians who have integrated into German society, including skilled workers, in a recent interview with Deutschlandfunk radio.
Germany’s health sector, for example, employs over 6,000 Syrian doctors, according to official figures – making them an integral part of the country’s healthcare system. Late last year, then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned “whole areas” in Germany’s healthcare sector would fall away if the Syrians who worked there currently were to leave.
Countering the far right
Despite the opposition, it is clear that the days of “Wilkommenskulture” or “welcoming culture” regarding immigration to Germany under Merkel are gone.
The AfD came second in Germany’s federal election in February, securing an unprecedented number of votes after campaigning on an anti-migration platform and a manifesto that states that “Islam does not belong in Germany.”
Since the collapse of the Assad regime, the AfD has been calling for Syrians in Germany to return to their homeland. Meanwhile, the party has continued to enjoy strong popularity, even temporarily surging ahead of the CDU in some polls, leaving Merz’s government fighting to retain ground.
Merz – who had long been a critic of Merkel’s open-door policies – has taken a tougher stance on migration, in part to counter the AfD.
While his predecessor welcomed migrants into Germany under the slogan “Wir schaffen das” – “We’ll manage it,” Merz and his government announced sweeping revisions to migration policy after taking office.
“We clearly did not manage it. That is exactly why we’re trying to fix it,” he said of the situation.
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CNN’s Sebastian Shukla contributed reporting.
