Germany announces intent to deport convicted Syrian refugees

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced on Thursday his intention to negotiate the return of Syrian refugees convicted of committing crimes to their home country, in a move he described as an attempt to address ongoing challenges in deportation procedures.

According to the German newspaper “Focus, Dobrindt explained that Germany currently lacks a clear agreement with Syria on the matter, but stated that “there are ongoing contacts with Damascus to reach an agreement on refugee returns, although no results have been finalized yet.”

The minister noted that the planned talks would not be limited to Syria but would also include negotiations with the Afghan government regarding the deportation of Afghan refugees convicted of crimes. He argued that the current solutions, which rely on intermediaries, are not sustainable.

Dobrindt added that Germany aims to reduce the number of refugees it receives annually to below 200,000, emphasizing that any country’s capacity for integration has its limits. For this reason, he said, it was necessary to set an upper limit on refugee intake.

He also noted that Germany currently hosts more than 600,000 asylum seekers, in addition to 1.2 million Ukrainians, a number that exceeds the country’s capacity to integrate effectively.

In a related development, the German parliament recently approved the suspension of the family reunification law for two years, with exceptions only for emergency humanitarian cases. The new law prevents refugees with subsidiary protection status from bringing in first-degree relatives. It also excludes non-Geneva Convention-recognized refugees who cannot be deported due to risks of torture, execution, or inhumane treatment.

Dobrindt, who presented the draft law, stated that its aim is to "break the business model of criminal gangs that exploit the current situation." He expects the law to reduce the number of migrants by around 12,000 people annually and ease the burden on the government and society.

The decision received support from the ruling coalition parties, including the Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party, and the Alternative for Germany, while it was opposed by members of the Green Party and The Left Party.

Dobrindt, a member of the Christian Social Union, has served as Interior Minister since May 2025 and is known for his stricter immigration policies. He has announced tighter border controls and the rejection of asylum seekers at the borders, with exceptions for vulnerable groups, marking a clear shift from previous policies.

He also made a surprise visit to Israel to strengthen cooperation in security and cyber defense, emphasizing the importance of benefiting from Israel’s expertise in confronting modern security threats.

A-H 

ANHA