"The civil war in Syria is over," Merz said. "There are now absolutely no grounds for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can begin deportations." Some million Syrians left their homes in their troubled nation and moved to Germany to seek asylum.
That war ended when Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a coup and he was replaced with Ahmed al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa was the leader of a rebel group Hayar Tahrir al-Sham and was affiliated with terrorists. Al-Assad's family was in power for more than 50 years and he was ousted amid a 10-day offensive in December 2024.
Merz went on to say that the government would encourage people to self-deport and leave Germany voluntarily. There could be incentives for doing so. However, he also said that "those who then refuse to return from Germany, we can, of course, deport them in the near future."
Some in government have been concerned about the lack of infrastructure in Syria due to the war. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that for those returning, it would be "difficult to restore a life of dignity there."
Syrian asylum seekers have been responsible for terror attacks in that nation. This year and in recent years, German towns have cancelled annual, traditional Christmas markets due to concerns over violent Islamic terrorism.
Breitbart reports that "Syrians are also vastly overrepresented in crime, with the government admitting earlier this year that Syrian migrants are over five times as likely to be suspects in crimes as people born in Germany, with a rate of 10,587 suspects per 100,000 people for Syrian nationals compared to 1,879 for German nationals."
