German Conservative Leader Calls for Syrian Refugee Repatriations

Berlin – Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), yesterday announced his intention to pursue the repatriation of Syrian refugees living in Germany, including those who fled the civil war, sparking renewed debate over immigration policy.

Merz’s push reflects a broader effort to shift his party further to the right on the issue of migration, a key platform of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). He invited Möhammad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida member, to Berlin to discuss the deportation of Syrian nationals convicted of crimes. “Without these people, reconstruction will not be possible,” Merz stated, adding that those who refuse to return “can, of course, be deported in the near future.”

The proposal seeks to reverse the policies of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose 2015 decision to open Germany’s borders to refugees led to hundreds of thousands of Syrians seeking asylum. Syrians now represent the largest refugee group in Germany after Ukrainians. Merz has repeatedly blamed Merkel’s approach for the rise in support for the AfD, currently the largest opposition party in the German parliament. Recent government efforts have also focused on arranging deportations to Afghanistan, a move criticized by Human Rights Watch and other organizations due to concerns about safety and persecution under the Taliban regime.

This move comes as the CDU struggles to regain ground in national polls, consistently trailing the AfD in recent surveys. The debate over repatriation highlights the growing tensions surrounding immigration and integration in Germany, and could significantly impact future Bundestag policy decisions. Officials stated further discussions with al-Sharaa and other relevant parties are planned in the coming weeks.