German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said 80% of the more than one million Syrians living in his country should return home, marking Berlin’s latest anti-immigration move as it seeks to ward off the rise of the far right.
The decision was welcomed by Syria’s president on a visit to Germany, arguing that the return would allow hundreds of thousands of Syrians “to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland,” AFP reported.
Since becoming chancellor last year, Merz has tightened Germany’s immigration policies in a bid to stave off parties running on anti-migration platforms, a move mirrored across much of Western Europe: The EU Parliament last week approved measures allowing deportation of irregular immigrants to so-called “return hubs” outside the bloc.
