Germany to deport Syrian criminals, following Austria’s lead
Sou-Jie van Brunnersum
Berlin: Germany has announced plans to deport Syrians with criminal records, days after Austria became the first EU country to do so in years. The move marks a shift in European deportation policies.
Germany is set to begin deporting Syrians with criminal records, following a similar move by Austria. The decision, announced by the Interior Ministry on Saturday (July 5), comes just days after Austria became the first European country in recent years to deport a Syrian criminal.
The ministry confirmed that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) had been instructed to take action against individuals considered a security risk, including “dangerous Syrian individuals and delinquents.”
The ministry emphasized that individuals convicted of serious crimes would lose their asylum protections and could face deportation. German states are actually responsible for removing this protection status, but the government said they would “support” these actions.
A coalition agreement between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats has already set the stage for deportations to Afghanistan and Syria. Efforts are now underway to coordinate with Syrian authorities to facilitate the deportations.
Since January, BAMF has initiated more than 3,500 procedures to revoke the asylum status of Syrian nationals, with 57 cases resulting in the actual removal of refugee status so far.
Additionally, around 800 Syrians have voluntarily returned to Syria through a repatriation program.
Approximately one million Syrians live in Germany, with many arriving between 2015-2016.
The issue of deportations has gained prominence due to recent deadly attacks in Germany – some carried out by Islamic extremists and others by far-right extremists – intensifying security concerns, and prompting heated debate about Germany’s migration policy.
In parallel, Germany has been seeking direct negotiations with the Taliban to facilitate the deportation of convicted Afghan criminals, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt revealed last week.
However, in response to a journalist’s question about this intended policy, Arafat Jamal, a representative from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said via video link on July 4: “We urge countries not to forcibly return Afghans.”
His comments were echoed by another UN Representative, Ravina Shamdasani, who said, “it is not appropriate to be talking about returning people to Afghanistan at this point,” given the continuing reports of human rights violations, including executions and the suppression of women’s rights.
In August last year, 28 convicted Afghans were returned to Kabul via indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar. However, since then, no more deportation flights have taken place.
Germany is hoping it can replicate that Afghan flight with Syrian criminals in the near future.
Austria’s recent deportation of a Syrian convict marked the first such deportation in 15 years, and also the first following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.
Both German and Austrian interior ministers visited Damascus in April to discuss the return of serious criminals and potential Islamist threats.
Dobrindt also pointed to the suspension of asylum procedures for Syrian nationals during the instability following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
As of May, Germany had 51,736 pending asylum applications from Syrians, with a court ruling confirming that the situation in Syria no longer justified delaying these decisions.
