German federal police deployed around 1,000 officers on Tuesday to search more than 50 residential and commercial premises in and around Leipzig, targeting a trafficking ring accused of exploiting Syrian refugees' residency documents to smuggle compatriots into the country. Investigators say the network sent genuine German-issued residency papers to people in Syria who resembled the original document holders, allowing them to enter Germany under false identities; 44 suspects were formally identified and authorities seized mobile phones, flight booking records, residency documents, and at least €93,000 in cash, with some suspects also linked to narcotics and explosives violations. The operation, which was aided by German federal police document advisors stationed at airports across the Middle East since 2024, comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz pursues a stricter immigration agenda and has called for up to 80% of Germany's one million-plus Syrian diaspora — the largest in the EU — to return home within three years.