German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced the possibility of deporting perpetrators of crimes in Syria amid intensified debates on migration ahead of parliamentary elections on February 23.
Speaking on public broadcaster ARD late yesterday, Scholz said Berlin was in talks with the new Syrian administration to promote an inclusive political process and stability in the country, which he described as prerequisites for potential deportations.
“Offenders should be returned to their country, and we want to do that whenever we have the opportunity,” he said, responding to criticism from opposition parties after several recent attacks in Germany in which the perpetrators were rejected asylum seekers or illegal migrants.
Scholz recalled recent changes to regulations to simplify deportation procedures for rejected asylum seekers and undocumented migrants.
He noted that his government had successfully carried out the first mass deportation to Afghanistan in August 2024.
However, he stressed that launching potential deportations to Syria would depend on achieving an inclusive political process and establishing security and stability in the country.
“We are talking to the Syrian government to facilitate a process in which the different groups in the country work together. There are many different religious groups, there are many different ethnic groups and everyone has to find a place in the future Syria,” Scholz stressed.
The debate on migration and deportations to Syria and Afghanistan intensified after a knife attack in Aschaffenburg last week in which two people were killed, including a child.
The attack, carried out by a 28-year-old Afghan national, injured three people. Authorities confirmed that the perpetrator had a documented history of violent incidents and mental health problems.
Although his asylum application was rejected in June, poor coordination and communication between state agencies prevented his deportation, AA writes.
