In line with its German neighbor, Beauvau informed the press on Monday October 9 of its intention to put a brake on asylum requests after the change of regime in Syria. Ofpra, which has control over the matter, affirmed for its part that this type of decision was not unusual.
Regime change and closing doors for Syrian refugees? The French Ministry of the Interior, still led by Bruno Retailleau who has made the reduction of immigration his hobby horse, indicated Monday December 9 “working on a suspension of ongoing asylum cases from Syria”before Ofpra qualifies the scope of this announcement.
“A decision should be reached in the coming hours,” had warned the Ministry of the Interior on a messaging loop dedicated to the media before specifying that the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra) was in charge of the file. Ofpra, a public establishment benefiting from a “functional independence”, then clarified “carefully monitor the situation in Syria” in a press release. “As always in the event of an evolving situation in a country of origin of asylum seekers, this may lead to a temporary suspension of decision-making on certain asylum applications from Syrian nationals, depending on the reasons given,” detailed Ofpra.
In 2023, more than 4,465 asylum requests from Syrian nationals were registered in France and 2,500 since the start of 2024, according to the latest figures from Ofpra responsible for examining requests. Around 700 requests including minors are still being processed. The refugee status defined by the 1951 Geneva Convention recognizes as such any person fearing persecution in their country of origin. “because of his race, his religion, his nationality, his membership in a certain social group or his political opinions”.
The position of the RN, an “absolute contradiction”
In the midst of a political crisis, while the country with a resigning government is looking for a new Prime Minister, the president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella said on Sunday he was worried about the “risk of a migratory surge”after the fall of the Syrian dictator, which caused a shock within the French extreme right. “An absolute contradiction”, Jean-Noël Barrot replied Monday morning on France Info. “France has conditioned […] the return of refugees […] could only happen to the extent that they could return to Syria in safety, security being not yet completely assured. […] This political transition must allow this so that the million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, those in Europe who would like to return, can do so with complete peace of mind.”
Earlier in the day, Germany, the leading European country welcoming Syrians, announced that it was suspending its decisions on these asylum requests. The debate was launched in particular by the far right and the conservative right, while the country is in the middle of an electoral campaign. Similar decisions had been taken in Sweden and Austria.
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