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UK Sets Course to Resume Deportations to Syria Under Mahmood’s Asylum Plan

Officials say they are exploring enforced returns to Syria despite warnings from the UN and charities.

Regime forces after retaking Raqqa from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces this month. The security situation in much of the country remains volatile (Photo: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty)
The Home Office is set to return asylum seekers to Syria in a bid to discourage small boat crossings. This image shows people trying to board a boat in France in August 2025 (Photo: Sameer al-Doumy/AFP)
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Ismail Azizi has refugee status so will not be subject to the scheme

Overview

  • The Home Office says it is exploring resuming enforced returns to countries not used for removals in recent years, explicitly naming Syria.
  • Shabana Mahmood has made Syria removals an early priority of her asylum package, with both voluntary and enforced returns expected to be pursued in the coming months.
  • The UK’s Middle East minister reported recent clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led rebels that displaced about 146,000 people and raised concerns over ISIS detention facilities.
  • Oxford’s Migration Observatory estimates roughly 7,900 Syrians await an initial decision, 6,600 receive asylum support and about 1,900 are in hotels, suggesting thousands could be affected by any restart of removals.
  • UNHCR and the Refugee Council oppose forced returns and warn the policy would push cases into appeals, while officials note Syrians already granted refugee status would not be targeted.