Bulgarian authorities are pressuring and coercing Syrian asylum seekers to return home, part of a wider European shift that began before the fall of the Assad regime last December, but has accelerated since.
A six-month window for refugees in Turkey to visit Syria before committing to return is set to close on July 1. In Kilis, a border city transformed by an influx of refugees, many are preparing to leave, while others remain uncertain.
The fates of thousands of asylum seekers, including Syrians, hang in the balance in the UK's July elections. The vote will decide the future of the government's Rwanda deportation plan—touted as an “indispensable deterrent” even as boats continue to arrive.
As life in Cyprus grows increasingly difficult for many asylum seekers, the number of Syrians opting into the island’s “voluntary return” program is going up. So far this year, 114 Syrians have returned, compared to just around 30 in all of 2023.
