Germany Seeks to Repatriate Syrian Refugees
The German government views the fall of Syrian President Assad’s regime as a positive development, with the extremist group Al-Qaida now in control. The government believes that this new power structure should create a society of diversity, tolerance and democratic coexistence in Syria.
According to this perspective, the asylum grounds for the approximately 700,000 Syrian refugees in Germany no longer apply. To facilitate the return of these individuals, the federal government and states are offering return assistance. Up to 4,000 euros in support can be provided to willing returnees, with 133 people having taken advantage of the program so far.
The states have funded the departure of 85 returnees in 2024, with an additional eight receiving assistance through state programs this year. The federal government launched its program to support Syrian returnees in January, with 40 individuals taking advantage of the offer by February 16.
Despite the enthusiasm of the Syrian community in Germany, the number of people taking advantage of the return assistance is relatively small. The help is only provided to those in need, covering a travel cost subsidy of 200 euros for adults and 100 euros per child, a start-up grant of 1,000 euros for adults and 500 euros for children and, in cases of need, medical support of up to 2,000 euros.
A spokesperson emphasized that the 133 figure does not represent the total number of returnees, but only those who have applied for and received the assistance.
According to official statistics, there are 975,061 Syrian citizens in Germany, with 10,231 being deportable. However, Germany has not deported anyone to Syria since 2012.
The Ministry of the Interior, led by Nancy Faeser, is exploring ways to allow Syrian nationals to make short trips to Syria to assess the situation and prepare for a potential permanent return.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has repeatedly claimed that a large-scale return of Syrians would overwhelm the German healthcare system, despite the fact that around 6,000 doctors of Syrian origin are working in Germany. Lauterbach fails to distinguish between Syrian doctors who have lived in Germany for a long time and those who arrived in the country under asylum in 2014 or later. The majority of the Syrian doctors in Germany have lived in the country for a long time and do not come from the group of asylum seekers who arrived in 2014 or later.
Following the refugees from Ukraine, the Syrian refugees are the second-largest group seeking asylum in Germany, with around 4,500 Syrians submitting asylum applications in January.