European countries reassess Syrian migrant status, deportation plans

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: POLITICO
10 Dec 2024 12:08

Following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, European nations, including Germany and Austria, are reevaluating the status of Syrian migrants, with some freezing asylum applications and planning deportations.

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A man with a Syrian revolution flag attends a protest against the civil war in Syria and for a free Syria in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, on December 23, 2012. (AP)

In the wake of Syrian armed groups toppling Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Damascus, Syria, European countries are reevaluating the status of Syrian migrants and POLITICO has published a report outlining updates on this topic. According to the report, over 4.5 million Syrians have fled to, and currently reside in Europe, since the outbreak of the war on Syria.

POLITICO underscored that Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) announced it will freeze asylum applications for over 47,000 Syrian nationals.

Syria was the leading country of origin for asylum seekers in Germany this year, according to BAMF. Several politicians from Germany's center-right CDU party have voiced support for returning many of the 800,000 Syrians currently in the country.

Additionally, the report revealed that Austria is also moving to deport Syrian migrants following the ousting of al-Assad.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated, "I have instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly return and deportation program to Syria," without specifying which migration statuses would be affected. Approximately 100,000 Syrians reside in Austria, according to the country's statistics agency.

Belgium, France, Greece, and Germany are among the European nations that are pausing Syrian asylum applications as the political landscape in Syria shifts.

Turkiye to reopen Syria border post for returning refugees

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Monday to restore a border post on Turkiye's southern border with Syria to assist in the repatriation of refugees following President Bashar al-Assad's removal.

"In order to ease traffic at the border, we're opening the Yayladagi border gate," Erdogan announced, referring to a crossing on the western part of the border shut down in 2013.

Turkiye, which shares a lengthy border with Syria, is home to roughly three million refugees who fled their nation following the outbreak of the war in 2011, with many hundreds eager to cross the border in the aftermath of al-Assad's ousting.

According to Erdogan, "The strong wind of change in Syria will be beneficial for all Syrians, especially the refugees. As Syria gains stability, voluntary returns will increase and the 13-year longing of the Syrians for their homeland will come to an end."