The Syrian Civil War is over. The bloody conflict finally ended last year after more than half a million deaths and a refugee crisis that saw more than 5 million flee the country.
But now that the fighting has finished, many of those refugees seem less than keen on returning. In Germany, so far only 1,300 have gone home via official programmes that gives them financial incentives to do so.
The total number that have returned to Syria in the first half of the year is estimated to be 4,000, out of more than one million that arrived after Angela Merkel opened the borders in 2015.
This raises the question of whether many refugees are really refugees at all. After all, if you are only fleeing the war, then you would return once the war is over. The lack of willingness to do so shows that many refugees would rather stay in the countries that gave them refuge, where they have better economic conditions.
Germany is a perfect example. Ms Merkel’s decision to allow so many refugees in was initially portrayed as a great moral act, one which would also provide the doctors and engineers of the future.
After some pushback from conservatives, she stressed in 2016 that asylum should be temporary and that, “once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained”.
A decade on, all of this looks very foolish. Some of those coming as refugees were terrorists, committing a spate of attacks that have horrified the country. That has driven much of the support for the populist Right-wing party Alternative for Germany, who now lead the polls.
Far from being professionals and graduates, many refugees have instead remained out of work, taking advantage of Germany’s generous welfare state. Nearly half of all those on the main German welfare scheme are foreign nationals, with Syrians now one of the largest groups.
This is one of the great problems of our age. Easy travel and social media mean that people are on the move in a way that was never previously possible. Around 900 million people want to migrate permanently, far more than any country or even continent can take. Many of them want to come to Britain, attracted by our wealth and the possibility of an easier life.
But in coming they are already destabilising the very prosperity they seek.
It is also unfair on the British people, who find themselves saddled with a bill of billions for so-called asylum seekers. But charity which is compelled is no charity at all. The scale of the refugee flows and the role of human rights law in facilitating them also means that many refugees in the West have received little or no vetting, in some cases have criminal histories, and even when convicted of crimes still cannot be deported.
It is therefore necessary to change the laws governing refugees. Most of these date back to the aftermath of the Second World War and were well-intentioned. But those refugees were relatively similar to one another, in many cases they did go home, and the disparity in wealth or social capital between them and their host nations was not as high. Today, refugees would be better dealt with locally, where they generate fewer cultural problems and funding can go further.
We should make absolutely sure that refugee status is temporary. This would ensure that people can seek safety but cannot come as economic migrants. This status should be reviewed at regular intervals and, when the situation in their country of origin changes, should be withdrawn. Those who commit any crimes should lose the right to refugee status, and be deported.
Britain has seen an unprecedented wave of asylum claims in the last few years and although many have been granted, this is often on spurious human rights grounds, rather than because of their real circumstances.
Under the Illegal Migration Act 2023, every person who arrived illegally should be denied the right to claim asylum. Politicians should withdraw refugee protection from anyone who has done so since the Act came into force.
This will be a clear sign to those thinking of abusing our refugee laws that they will not be allowed to do so. In combination with refugees being dealt with locally and regular reviews of refugee status, this would return it to the intended temporary protection, not the Trojan Horse for economic migration and abuse of our welfare system we see today.
The Syrian Civil War is over. The bloody conflict finally ended last year after more than half a million deaths and a refugee crisis that saw more than 5 million flee the country.
But now that the fighting has finished, many of those refugees seem less than keen on returning. In Germany, so far only 1,300 have gone home via official programmes that gives them financial incentives to do so.
The total number that have returned to Syria in the first half of the year is estimated to be 4,000, out of more than one million that arrived after Angela Merkel opened the borders in 2015.
This raises the question of whether many refugees are really refugees at all. After all, if you are only fleeing the war, then you would return once the war is over. The lack of willingness to do so shows that many refugees would rather stay in the countries that gave them refuge, where they have better economic conditions.
Germany is a perfect example. Ms Merkel’s decision to allow so many refugees in was initially portrayed as a great moral act, one which would also provide the doctors and engineers of the future.
After some pushback from conservatives, she stressed in 2016 that asylum should be temporary and that, “once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained”.
A decade on, all of this looks very foolish. Some of those coming as refugees were terrorists, committing a spate of attacks that have horrified the country. That has driven much of the support for the populist Right-wing party Alternative for Germany, who now lead the polls.
Far from being professionals and graduates, many refugees have instead remained out of work, taking advantage of Germany’s generous welfare state. Nearly half of all those on the main German welfare scheme are foreign nationals, with Syrians now one of the largest groups.
This is one of the great problems of our age. Easy travel and social media mean that people are on the move in a way that was never previously possible. Around 900 million people want to migrate permanently, far more than any country or even continent can take. Many of them want to come to Britain, attracted by our wealth and the possibility of an easier life.
But in coming they are already destabilising the very prosperity they seek.
It is also unfair on the British people, who find themselves saddled with a bill of billions for so-called asylum seekers. But charity which is compelled is no charity at all. The scale of the refugee flows and the role of human rights law in facilitating them also means that many refugees in the West have received little or no vetting, in some cases have criminal histories, and even when convicted of crimes still cannot be deported.
It is therefore necessary to change the laws governing refugees. Most of these date back to the aftermath of the Second World War and were well-intentioned. But those refugees were relatively similar to one another, in many cases they did go home, and the disparity in wealth or social capital between them and their host nations was not as high. Today, refugees would be better dealt with locally, where they generate fewer cultural problems and funding can go further.
We should make absolutely sure that refugee status is temporary. This would ensure that people can seek safety but cannot come as economic migrants. This status should be reviewed at regular intervals and, when the situation in their country of origin changes, should be withdrawn. Those who commit any crimes should lose the right to refugee status, and be deported.
Britain has seen an unprecedented wave of asylum claims in the last few years and although many have been granted, this is often on spurious human rights grounds, rather than because of their real circumstances.
Under the Illegal Migration Act 2023, every person who arrived illegally should be denied the right to claim asylum. Politicians should withdraw refugee protection from anyone who has done so since the Act came into force.
This will be a clear sign to those thinking of abusing our refugee laws that they will not be allowed to do so. In combination with refugees being dealt with locally and regular reviews of refugee status, this would return it to the intended temporary protection, not the Trojan Horse for economic migration and abuse of our welfare system we see today.