A German court has approved the deportation of two Syrian men, ruling they are no longer at significant risk of violence in their home country. The verdict is in line with the government’s plans to increase deportations.
In two separate rulings, the administrative court in the German city of Düsseldorf determined that the men’s home regions – the provinces of Damascus and Latakia – did not expose them to a level of indiscriminate violence for them to be at risk.
They would also not be at risk of impoverishment, according to the ruling made on Wednesday, November 5.
The court sees no proof of a general emergency; therefore, protection from deportation could only be granted in exceptional cases.
The two men, a 46-year-old cook and his 26-year-old son, had previously been rejected for asylum in Austria. Neither had a criminal record in Germany.
The verdict cannot be appealed.
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Merz: 'No grounds for asylum'
The center-right government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has been calling for an increase in deportations of Syrians, particularly those with a criminal record.
At a press conference on Monday, the chancellor reiterated his standpoint: "The civil war in Syria is over. There are now no longer any grounds for asylum in Germany, which means we can also begin repatriations."
Merz added: "Those who then refuse to return to the country can, of course, be deported in the future."
The chancellor seemed to contradict earlier comments made by his foreign minister, Johan Wadephul. After a recent visit to the country, Wadephul had expressed doubts about sending Syrians back, saying the conditions remained dire.
"It is barely possible for people to live here with dignity," Wadephul said while visiting Harasta, northeast of the capital Damascus, which has been subjected to heavy bombing.
Deals with Damascus
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Berlin is making agreements with Damascus to allow for speedy repatriation.
In September, he told regional newspaper Rheinische Post: "We want to reach an agreement with Syria before the end of this year and then initially deport criminals and later people without residence permits."
Chancellor Merz on Monday said he has invited his Syrian counterpart, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, to Berlin to discuss "how we can resolve this together," referring to the prospect of deporting Syrian citizens.
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Repatriations
Since the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024, close to 3,000 Syrians have returned to their home country with German government assistance.
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), by the end of October, 2,869 people who had fled to Germany because of the civil war in Syria had received assistance from the corresponding federal government program.
Some 951,400 Syrians currently reside in Germany, according to figures from the Interior Ministry published in August. The ministry said 920 Syrians do not have the legal status to stay in Germany and are thus required to leave. A further 9,780 are also required to leave the country but have been granted temporary stay ("Duldung").
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With dpa