Germany deports second Syrian offender since fall of Al-Assad
Germany has deported a second convicted Syrian criminal since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s stricter migration policy.
The 32-year-old man, who had multiple prior convictions for drug-related and violent offenses, was serving a prison sentence in Burg prison, Saxony-Anhalt. He was taken from prison to the airport and returned to Syria on Tuesday afternoon, according to officials.
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry confirmed to the Bild newspaper that “another Syrian criminal was sent back to Syria today on a scheduled flight.”
Direct deportations to Syria had been suspended since 2011 due to the war that followed the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests by al-Assad’s regime. After al-Assad’s removal in December 2024, discussions about returning Syrian refugees intensified, though the previous centre-left government warned that conditions were not yet safe.
Since taking office in May 2025, Chancellor Merz’s conservative government has taken a tougher approach to migration, prioritizing deportations of convicted criminals, starting with Syria and Afghanistan.
The first deportation under this policy occurred shortly before Christmas, when a Syrian man from Gelsenkirchen, convicted of robbery, assault, and extortion, was sent back to his home country.
-
12:31
-
12:30
-
12:15
-
12:05
-
12:00
-
11:48
-
11:45
-
11:30
-
11:30
-
11:15
-
11:11
-
11:00
-
10:59
-
10:45
-
10:43
-
10:36
-
10:30
-
10:25
-
10:18
-
10:16
-
10:15
-
10:08
-
10:00
-
09:46
-
09:45
-
09:30
-
09:15
-
09:00
-
08:45
-
08:38
-
08:31
-
08:15
-
08:00
-
07:45
-
07:30
-
07:15
-
07:00
-
18:18
-
18:00
-
17:44
-
17:25
-
17:10
-
16:48
-
16:33
-
16:16
-
16:00
-
15:42
-
15:22
-
15:22
-
15:12
-
15:05
-
15:00
-
14:45
-
14:30
-
14:22
-
14:15
-
14:02
-
14:00
-
13:45
-
13:32
-
13:30
-
13:15
-
13:13
-
13:02
-
13:00
-
12:45
