Asylum-Seeking Family Terrorizes Stuttgart, Receives €23,000 Payout to Leave Germany
A Syrian family, linked to approximately 160 criminal offenses in Stuttgart, Germany, received a payment of 23,000 euros upon their voluntary return to Syria on Saturday, March 21, 2026, according to reports from German media.
The family, consisting of a 44-year-classic father and children from three marriages, had been implicated in a range of crimes including armed extortion, violent robberies, aggravated assault, threats, theft, and resisting police, as detailed by NieuwRechts.nl. Several sons had already received multi-year prison sentences for their involvement in these offenses. One 19-year-old was sentenced to two years for armed extortion, while other brothers also faced lengthy terms. An 18-year-old remains in custody in connection with a stabbing incident and numerous other alleged crimes.
The case has ignited a political debate in Germany regarding its migration and repatriation policies. Alexander Dobrindt, a German minister, sharply criticized the payment, questioning the rationale of providing such a sum to a family with a criminal record. The payment was intended as a financial incentive to encourage voluntary repatriation, but its application in this instance has drawn significant public disapproval.
Authorities in Baden-Württemberg stated that lengthy negotiations ultimately led to the family’s voluntary return, as forced deportation to Syria is currently considered impractical due to the lack of a repatriation agreement with the Syrian government. The regional government determined that the financial and logistical costs associated with continued detention would exceed the cost of the repatriation incentive.
Each of the seventeen family members who departed received a paid airline ticket and approximately 1,350 euros in addition to the collective 23,000 euro payment. The family is now subject to a re-entry ban of at least five years, with the possibility of facing remaining sentences should they attempt to return to Germany.
The incident is considered an exceptional case, as less than half of planned deportations were successfully carried out in Stuttgart during the first half of 2025. In response, the region has established a specialized team dedicated to facilitating the departure of convicted criminals and violent asylum seekers. According to reports, the family had been receiving 7,250 euros monthly from German social welfare programs, due to the father being declared unfit for work and having eight children.