Refugees from Syria wait to register at the German army's air base in Erding, southern Germany, during the migrant crisis in January 2016. Andreas Gebert/dpa/AFP/Getty Images

When Germany opened its doors to refugees escaping war in the Middle East, more people arrived from Syria than any other country – finding homes, getting jobs, starting families.

A question mark now hangs over their future, after Germany’s government – which has hardened its stance on immigration amid a surging far right – suggested it could be time for some to return home, voluntarily or not.

Some 1 million Syrians arrived in Germany at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-2016, under former chancellor Angela Merkel. Approximately 1.3 million live in Germany currently, including 25,000 who were born ther

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