Austria begins preparations to deport Syrian refugees

The Austrian government has announced the start of preparations for a deportation program targeting Syrian refugees, following its decision to suspend asylum applications for Syrians. The move comes amid claims that millions of refugees may now be able to return home following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.

Austria’s Interior Ministry confirmed it has begun reassessing the cases of approximately 40,000 Syrians who were granted protected status in the country over the past five years.

Gerhard Karner, Austria’s interior minister, outlined the objectives of the program. “I have instructed the Ministry of the Interior to prepare a repatriation and deportation program to ensure that this happens in an orderly manner and that priorities must now be set. This is exactly what is needed at this point in time,” Karner said.