Germany’s co-governing CSU party urges repatriation of most Syrian refugees

Germany's co-governing Christian Social Union (CSU) party called for the repatriation of most Syrian refugees in the country, press reports said Friday.

According to a position paper for the CSU regional group's closed-door meeting in the south German town of Seeon, most Syrians with temporary residence permits will no longer have grounds for protection since the civil war in that country has ended.

"For those who do not leave voluntarily, repatriation must be initiated as quickly as possible," Münchner Merkur daily cited the document as saying.

In 2026, there must be a deportation offensive, "with scheduled flights, including to Syria and Afghanistan," according to the draft resolution for the closed-door meeting of CSU members of parliament.

As part of these efforts, departure centers should be set up nationwide and a separate deportation terminal created at Munich Airport, it added.

The status of Syrian refugees and their potential return have sparked contentious debate in Germany since the Assad regime fell in December 2024, often fueled by the far-right AfD party, which has seen its support grow in recent months.

Amid mounting political pressure, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in early November that since the civil war is over, Syrian refugees are expected to return to their country and help rebuild it. He added that many Syrians in Germany would likely return voluntarily, and Berlin will encourage this and help the country rebuild quickly.

According to official figures, approximately 1.22 million people with Syrian migration backgrounds were living in Germany as of the end of 2024. About one-quarter held German citizenship, often through naturalization.

Among the 713,000 Syrian nationals who fled the civil war and sought protection in Germany, 90% held humanitarian residence permits with recognized protection status as of that date. Another 64,200 had pending protection status decisions, while approximately 6,600 had gotten rejections.