Only about a third of working-age Syrians living in Germany are employed. The government is now attempting to send them back to Syria, since the reason they were allowed in was to escape the Bashar al-Assad regime, which is now gone. But less than 0.001% have accepted voluntary deportation.
Approximately 1.3 million Syrians currently live in Germany, including 25,000 born there. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other conservatives in his coalition have called for their repatriation, arguing there are no longer grounds for asylum since Assad’s fall ended the civil war.
On March 30, speaking alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Berlin, Merz said roughly 80% of Syrians in Germany should return home over the next three years, while acknowledging that well-integrated workers may stay. Al-Sharaa disputed the framing, saying Syrians have built new lives in Germany and that it would be difficult to start over, but that Western investment in Syria could draw them back voluntarily.
The response from Syrians in Germany has been near-total refusal. Since Assad’s fall, roughly 1,300 people, about 0.1%, have voluntarily returned, according to Germany’s interior ministry. Germany offered financial incentives of up to $4,300 per family to encourage voluntary departure, with negligible uptake.
A demonstration against the repatriation plan was held in Berlin the day al-Sharaa met with Merz, under the slogan “No deportation deals with human rights abusers.”
About 15% of Syrians in Germany have acquired German citizenship and cannot be deported. Syrian nationals with a residence permit also cannot be forced to leave. The German coalition agreement between Germany’s leading political parties, CDU/CSU and SPD, permits deportations, but only prioritizes criminals and public safety threats.
Deportations resumed in December 2025 on a limited scale, and no deportations of non-criminal Syrians have been carried out. Migration expert Daniel Thym has noted that once protection status is revoked, the individual has 15 months of legal appeals, and a full court challenge from the affected population would create gridlock.
Hellbound and Down 