When Germany opened its doors to refugees fleeing war in the Middle East, more people came from Syria than any other country to find homes, jobs and start families.
Their future is starting to come into question after Germany’s government, which has hardened its stance on migrants amid the rise of the far-right, suggested it may be time for some to return home, voluntarily or not.
Around 1 million Syrians arrived in Germany during the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-2016 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. Approximately 1.3 million people currently live in Germany, including 25,000 people born in Germany.
Now Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other conservatives in his coalition government are calling for their repatriation.
Merz said this week that Berlin would address the issue with “very concrete issues” and suggested that “we could start with repatriation, as there are no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany.”
While the German government first and foremost encourages voluntary repatriation, Merz said the return of Syrians to their homeland is key to rebuilding the war-torn country, adding that those who refuse “could of course be deported in the near future.”
The German chancellor also revealed that he had invited Syrian President Ahmad al-Shalah to Berlin to discuss the issue.
What has changed in Syria is that the Assad regime is gone and the years of civil war have come to an end. And in Germany, Merz’s coalition government is trying to fend off the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Despite Merz’s rhetoric, it is unclear at this stage how widespread the deportations will be. Germany has so far only announced plans to deport Syrians with criminal records.
According to the German Interior Ministry, around 1,300 Syrians (0.1%) have voluntarily returned to their homeland since the fall of the Assad regime.
Syrians live in Germany in various legal statuses, some have been granted German citizenship and others have permanent residence permits. According to a report by Deutsche Welle, more than 160,000 Syrians will have acquired German citizenship by the end of 2023. According to Reuters, CDU politicians said in a coalition debate on Tuesday that people in these categories do not have to leave Germany.
Hundreds of thousands more hold temporary residence permits, which are granted after receiving protection status such as asylum, refugee or subsidiary protection, if none of these are granted and there is a threat of serious harm in the country of origin.
A temporary residence permit allows foreigners to live and work in Germany and also receive government benefits, but it is uncertain whether they will be able to stay in Germany.
The issue of repatriation is contentious and involves significant legal hurdles. Meanwhile, Germany is watching the debate with increasing anxiety as Syria still bears the scars of years of conflict.
“Mr. Merz’s comments go in the direction of fueling the right-wing desire to deport anyone who does not fit into their so-called idea of who belongs in Germany, and that is scary,” said Rafih Daoud, a 33-year-old architect living in Berlin who emigrated from Syria more than 12 years ago and is now a German citizen.
Daoud said he knows people who have happily returned home, but “it is an absolute shame to talk about sending back people who have tried to integrate, who consider Germany their second home, or their first and only home, and who are actively contributing to this society and economy.”
Some are concerned about the unstable political situation in their home countries. A former engineer who now lives in Germany but is not a citizen, said he sees the overthrow of the Assad regime as a “historical necessity” but has doubts about its replacement.
“We have to ask whether this country is moving toward a state that reflects European, especially German, values and respects freedom and human principles, or whether dictatorships and new totalitarian religious systems are simply being reproduced under different names,” the man, who requested anonymity, told CNN.
Deadly sectarian violence has flared up in Syria since Assad’s ouster, with clashes erupting between security forces and forces loyal to the former president in March, including in the coastal region of Latakia.
Akram al-Buni, a Syrian political activist who was imprisoned under the Assad regime, told CNN in an interview that he believes the German government needs to consider the nature of the country’s new authority, which could expose many Syrians to new persecution. Albuni said the security situation also needed to be taken into account, adding that weapons remained “out of control in the hands of extremists.”
Johann Vardepoel, Germany’s foreign minister and politician from Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), hinted at some of the problems awaiting Syrians during a recent visit to Damascus, comparing the country’s devastation to “the scene we saw in Germany in 1945 after World War II” and expressing doubts about the voluntary return of large numbers of Syrian migrants.
However, after receiving backlash from within the party for his comments, Mr Wadepulu has sought to emphasize that his overall views remain in line with the party’s.
Other politicians, especially German leftists, have criticized the plan. In an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel, Ramya Kador of the German Green Party said: “Believing that mass deportations are now possible underestimates the reality on the ground.”
The German Association of Syrian Aid Organizations has voiced opposition to the government’s plan, and its president Nara Osman said in a recent interview with Deutschlandfunk Radio that the debate would be a huge blow to Syrians who are integrated into German society, including skilled workers.
For example, according to official statistics, Germany’s medical sector employs more than 6,000 Syrian doctors, making them an integral part of the country’s health system. Late last year, then Interior Minister Nancy Feser warned that “an entire region” of Germany’s health sector would collapse if the Syrians currently working there left.
Despite the opposition, it is clear that the days of the “Wilkomen culture” or “welcoming culture” regarding immigration to Germany under Merkel are over.
The AfD campaigned in February’s German federal elections on an anti-immigration platform and a manifesto stating that “Islam does not belong in Germany,” securing an unprecedented number of votes and coming in second place.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, the AfD has called on Syrians living in Germany to return to their homeland. Meanwhile, the party remains deeply popular, briefly surpassing the CDU in some opinion polls, and Merz’s government is struggling to maintain its position.
Merz has long criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy, but has taken a tougher stance on immigration, partly to counter the AfD.
After his predecessor welcomed immigrants to Germany with the slogan “Wir schaffen das” (We’ll make it through), Merz and his government announced sweeping changes to immigration policy after taking office.
“It’s clear that we don’t have it under control. That’s why we’re trying to solve the problem,” he said of the situation.
