Austria to Deport Syrian Asylum Seeker Following Criminal Record and Legal Proceedings
A 32-year-old Syrian man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, is set to be deported after losing his refugee status in 2019 due to a criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu confirmed. Austrian and Syrian authorities reached an agreement for the deportation last week; however, ongoing airspace closures resulting from the conflict between Iran and Israel have delayed the process, reports 24brussels.
Austria currently hosts nearly 100,000 Syrian refugees and was among the EU nations to suspend all Syrian asylum applications in December following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. The Austrian government subsequently initiated measures to revoke the asylum status of approximately 2,900 refugees and halted family reunification efforts. This policy is part of a broader strategy led by the conservative government under Chancellor Christian Stocker, which aims to extend such measures to include all nationalities.
In late April, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner visited Syria alongside his German counterpart, Nancy Faeser, to discuss return and deportation strategies with local authorities.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that he is pursuing direct negotiations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals with criminal backgrounds residing in Germany.
