The German newspaper Bild revealed that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has begun sending decisions to thousands of Syrians revoking refugee status, denying subsidiary protection, and declaring that obstacles to deportation no longer apply.
The decisions covered people against whom police had recorded offences, and people who had left Germany for a short period and then returned. The decision does not mean immediate deportation, as recipients are entitled to appeal it before the administrative court.
What did the Federal Office base its decision on?
The office bases its position on the view that the war ended with the fall of the Assad regime and that return has become acceptable, estimating the risk to the lives of returnees at 0.017 %. It acknowledged food shortages, the high cost of living and a housing crisis, but estimated the living costs of a family of five outside the capital at about 554 euros per month, and held that there is no existential subsistence hardship.
