Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Syrians in Germany without citizenship or residence permits to return home or face deportation, insisting the civil war in Syria has ended and that Germany can begin repatriations. His statement publicly contradicted Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who said large parts of Syria remain devastated and unsuitable for return. Germany hosts roughly 1.3 million people of Syrian origin, about 712,000 of whom were classed as asylum seekers at the end of 2023. The comments have intensified tensions within Merz’s coalition and drawn criticism that his hardline stance may be aimed at courting the far‑right AfD.
Merz Tells Syrians in Germany to Return or Face Deportation — Sparks Public Rift in Coalition
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Syrians in Germany without citizenship or residence permits to return home or face deportation, insisting the civil war in Syria has ended and that Germany can begin repatriations. His statement publicly contradicted Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who said large parts of Syria remain devastated and unsuitable for return. Germany hosts roughly 1.3 million people of Syrian origin, about 712,000 of whom were classed as asylum seekers at the end of 2023. The comments have intensified tensions within Merz’s coalition and drawn criticism that his hardline stance may be aimed at courting the far‑right AfD.
23:41, 04.11.2025Politics
Merz urges Syrians to return home or be deported, challenging his foreign minister
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Syrians living in Germany who lack German citizenship or residence permits to return to Syria or face deportation, saying the civil war is effectively over and that repatriations can begin. He framed returns as part of a broader plan to assist reconstruction in Syria, conditioning German assistance on increased numbers of people going back.
“The Syrian civil war is over, there is absolutely no reason to claim asylum in Germany anymore and we can therefore begin with repatriations,”
Merz added that a "very large proportion" of Syrians want to return and warned that "we can of course in the future deport those in Germany who refuse to return."
Public clash with the foreign minister
The chancellor’s remarks were a public rebuke of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who during a recent visit to Damascus and nearby Harasta described much of Syria as still devastated by heavy bombing and unfit for dignified life. Wadephul said many areas remain ruined and questioned the appropriateness of expecting mass returns.
“Here, hardly anyone can live a truly dignified life,” Wadephul said during his visit to Harasta.
Numbers and legal status
Germany accepted around 1 million Syrians at the peak of the 2015 refugee crisis. Today, roughly 1.3 million people of Syrian origin live in Germany, including some 250,000 who were born there. At the end of 2023, about 712,000 Syrians in Germany were still classified as asylum seekers; many others lack permanent residence permits and remain under refugee or temporary protection status.
Political context and criticism
Merz has adopted a tougher migration stance than his predecessor, Angela Merkel, who in 2015 opened Germany’s borders with the slogan wir schaffen das — “we can manage it.” Merz has criticised that policy as overwhelming Germany’s capacity to absorb refugees and has used a contrasting refrain emphasising limits on migration.
Critics say Merz’s rhetoric aims to appeal to voters of the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which gained significant support in recent elections. The dispute over refugee policy is the latest visible disagreement within Merz’s coalition government of the CDU and the centre‑left Social Democrats (SPD), following disagreements on reintroducing military service and other issues.
What this means
The chancellor’s statements signal a potential shift toward stricter enforcement of immigration rules and a willingness to link reconstruction assistance to returns. Implementation would raise complex legal, humanitarian and diplomatic questions, not least given differing assessments from officials on the ground in Syria.