[1] Additionally, the population with Syrian citizenship residing in Germany is 972,460 in 2023,[3] making it the second-largest group of foreign nationals living in the country.

Many opponents of the regime in former Ba'athist Syria under Bashar Al Assad, especially Syrian Sunni Muslims and Palestinians have also sought refuge in Germany.

[11] After the Fall of Damascus on 7 December 2024 and Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Moscow, politicians campaigning for Germany´s 2025 election, asked for the 973,905 Syrians in Germany to return to Syria,[12] while others feared that the sunni islamist HTS rebels, in charge after the fall of the regime, may not be willing to honor fundamental rights like freedom of religion and warned of hasty returns.

In June 2024, after an 18-year-old Syrian allegedly killed a 20-year-old man in the town of Bad Oeynhausen who had just returned from a school graduation ceremony, many politicians in Germany called for deportations to Syria, especially of those involved in criminal activities.

Several days later German chancellor Olaf Scholz also called for deportations to Syria, although Germany has no official embassy in the country since the outbreak of the civil war.

[18] A large proportion of the Syrians who have arrived in Germany are also of Kurdish origin, seeking protection from Islamist groups in Syria.