Overview
- Carsten Linnemann said Syrians should be returned beyond convicted criminals and security threats, arguing there are no longer grounds for asylum in Germany.
- He announced talks in the coming weeks with Syria’s interim president to establish a legal basis for organized returns.
- Linnemann emphasized case-by-case assessments and offered no target numbers, pointing instead to past returns from Turkey as evidence that repatriation can occur.
- Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s visit to Damascus reignited the issue after he reported conditions where people could hardly live with dignity.
- The push has exposed friction inside the CDU/CSU bloc, even as the coalition agreement allows deportations to Syria starting with criminals and does not preclude broader returns, with roughly one million Syrians living in Germany.