Overview
- Wadephul clarified there is no difference with Chancellor Merz on increasing returns and said he expects the first deportations to Syria to happen soon.
- After his Syria visit, he reiterated that large-scale voluntary returns remain limited because devastated areas do not allow a dignified life.
- Merz said the civil war is over, argued there are no reasons left for asylum in Germany, and invited Syria’s interim president Ahmed al‑Scharaa to Berlin to discuss returns and reconstruction.
- Government and CDU officials cast the internal row as a “Scheinkonflikt,” as the Interior Ministry advances arrangements for deportations and has ruled out so‑called reconnaissance trips for Syrians.
- UNHCR and refugee groups cautioned against rapid, large-scale removals given Syria’s strained capacity, while official data indicate only a small number of Syrians in Germany are currently deportable without special toleration.