Shabana Mahmood is set to make deporting migrants to Syria a priority, despite ongoing violence and instability in the Middle Eastern country.
The plans are part of a raft of reforms to Britain’s immigration system set out by the Home Secretary late last year.
Syrian nationals accounted for just under 10 per cent of small boat arrivals in the year ending June 2025.
This makes them the fourth most common nationality, though numbers have declined since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Oxford University’s Migration Observatory has calculated that thousands could theoretically face removal as part of Ms Mahmood’s plans.
Approximately 7,900 Syrians are currently awaiting an initial decision on their asylum application, representing 10 per cent of the total backlog.
6,600 are also receiving asylum support while their claims are processed, with 1,900 of those housed in hotels.
The Home Office confirmed the Government’s direction of travel, explaining they are now investigating deportations back to areas previously ruled out as unsafe.
Shabana Mahmood is set to prioritise the deportation of Syrian migrants
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“As outlined in the Asylum Policy Statement, we are exploring resuming enforced returns to countries where we have not routinely carried out such removals in recent years, including to Syria,” a spokesman said.
The Home Secretary’s approach draws heavily from Denmark’s hardline asylum system, which has achieved a 95 per cent deportation rate for failed asylum seekers and driven claims down to a 40-year low.
Denmark was the first European country to revoke the residency permits of Syrian refugees, beginning as early as 2019.
However, the UN Refugee Agency has called on countries not to forcibly return Syrians, arguing conditions had not improved sufficiently after Assad’s fall to end refugee status for the country’s nationals.
The Home Office are investigating deportations back to areas previously ruled out as unsafe
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GETTYThat position is understood to remain unchanged more than a year on from the change of Government in Damascus.
The Refugee Council has also urged the Government to reconsider its approach, calling instead for temporary discretionary leave for Syrians until conditions improve.
Jon Featonby, the charity’s chief policy analyst, warned: “A year on from the fall of the Assad regime, it is clear that there is still a lot of instability in Syria and that the situation changes from one day to the next.
“While some Syrians may feel able to return home voluntarily, and should be supported to do so, it’s vital that all decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis.
Critics have warned of instability in the country since the fall of Assad’s regime
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REUTERS“Far from solving the asylum backlog, trying to remove people before Syria is safe will just shift the pressure to the appeals system.
“As of September 2025, that backlog had already doubled as over 90,000 people were stuck in limbo waiting to appeal their decision,” the analyst told The i Paper.
Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer raised concerns this week about clashes between Syrian Government forces and Kurdish-led rebels in Aleppo and the north-east.
The skirmishes have displaced 146,000 people and posed threats to detention centres holding Islamic State militants, among them Isis bride Shamima Begum.