Tarek Al Hasan* is a Syrian refugee who took part in GAGE research in 2019, when he was 18 years old. At that time, Tarek was living in Baalbek, in Lebanon, with his family. He had been working as a mechanic, but when the political and economic crisis hit Lebanon in November 2019, Tarek was left with no work, which meant he was struggling to support his family (he was living with his mother and younger sister and was the family breadwinner).
Although Tarek’s sister was engaged to his cousin, Tarek decided to migrate from Lebanon, taking his mother and under-age sister with him. This created some tensions within the family, but Tarek thought it was for the best, for him and his family. He was also mindful that travelling with his female relatives might make it easier at the border crossing, because he had heard that police do not harm families as they do lone migrants.
GAGE has been following Tarek’s irregular migration journey with his mother and sister from Lebanon to Germany, which he embarked on in 2020.
*Tarek Al Hasan is a pseudonym.
Lebanon to Syria
Tarek and his family started their journey from Baalbek by travelling back through Syria. They did so legally, using a taxi. In Damascus, they stayed at a relative’s house and contacted a smuggler – the same smuggler who helped Tarek’s brother migrate 5 years earlier. Since Tarek was over 18, he was wanted for military service but was allowed by the authorities to put his papers together in order to migrate within 15 days.
Syria
In Syria, the smuggler moved Tarek, his mother and sister from Damascus to Aleppo, from where it would be easier to cross to Türkiye. Before reaching Aleppo, the smuggler, who belonged to the Syrian regime, put them on the road before reaching Afreen – an area controlled by the Free Syrian Army- a military faction which took charge of areas outside of regime’s control. ‘In smuggling, the two enemies work together to make money’, says Tarek. He adds: ‘This grey zone between the combatants is very dangerous and a battle could happen any second, even when civilians are crossing. It had cost USD1,000 to reach this point.’ Once they had arrived in Afreen, Tarek began looking for the smuggler to take him and his family to their next destination, Türkiye.
Border wall to Turkey
The first big obstacle in their onward journey was a very big wall that separates Syria and Turkey, which they had to climb. They used an old wooden ladder, and cut through the barbed wire. Tarek and his family were with a big group, of around 50 people, all trying to cross the border. The young people jumped over first and they helped the families and children. There were cameras everywhere. They crossed through to a big forest without being seen. But once they reached the forest, they were caught by the Turkish police and returned to the Syrian border. On their second attempt to cross, they succeeded without being caught and reached a taxi that was waiting for them (arranged by the smuggler), which took them to Istanbul.
Istanbul
Tarek and his family spent a week in Istanbul, at a smuggler’s house. They would sometimes go out, but very rarely, because they were scared a policeman might ask to see their papers. They felt that the Turkish people were very respectable – almost feeling as if they were still in Syria, except that people were speaking a different language.
It had cost Tarek US$1,100 for each of them to reach this point.
Border area with Greece
Once Tarek and his family together with other migrants had arrived at the border between Türkiye and Greece, they saw a river, which they had to go across on an inflatable boat. Tarek had told the smuggler that he didn’t want to cross any water, but the smuggler assured him it was very easy to cross. They did manage to get across, and then walked into a nearby forest.
In the forest
The trail across the forest was supposed to take 15 minutes, but took 3 days instead. Inside the forest they travelled at night and slept during the day. There were a lot of insects and mosquitos, which ‘destroyed them’ according to Tarek. They also had to drink contaminated water after they ran out of food and clean water. They had a guide with them, but couldn’t complain because they were afraid of being caught or being left alone. On the third day, people were getting very tired and couldn’t walk any further. So the guide called the police, and the group were found and escorted back to Turkey.
At their second attempt, Tarek and his family succeeded in crossing the forest. They then reached a car, which took them to Thessaloniki.
Car chase to Thessaloniki
While riding in the taxi, the family were spotted by the police, and a car chase ensued, during which they were caught and charged with illegal border crossing. After the trial, Tarek said, ‘They put me and my family in prison together. It was one of the worst experiences I ever went through. They gave us food just to barely survive. We were quarantined for 12 days.’ The family’s request to remain in Greece was rejected. They were given 1 month to leave the country.
Smuggling routes into Serbia
During that month, Tarek and his family tried various smuggling routes to reach Serbia. They tried three times to cross to Macedonia but were caught each time. Then they got a tip to go through an easy but long route through Albania and Kosovo, where they walked through mountains and valleys till they reached a car that took them to Belgrade, Serbia.
Serbia
They arrived in Serbia during winter. They were very tired after such a difficult time, and started to have second thoughts. They didn’t have any money or strength to continue their journey, so they decided to surrender themselves to the Serbian authorities. They were then put inside an immigration camp.
Serbia camp
It had taken them around 2 months to get from Lebanon to this camp in Serbia. It was actually a hotel, with many migrating families staying there. The government provided food and water, and the camp residents were allowed to walk around the local neighbourhood. But Tarek was still planning to try to cross the border towards Germany, his final destination.
When spring came, Tarek and his family went to the border and started looking for a smuggler to get them across. They went through the Danube river using an inflatable boat. They almost died when the boat nearly capsized, but eventually they reached the other riverbank.
Education in Germany
After weeks on the road, Tarek and his family arrived in Berlin, ending their 3-month journey from Lebanon. They felt hugely relieved, knowing they could now start to rebuild their lives. In Germany, Tarek believes he can accomplish anything he wants, with the help of government. He felt there was an absence of racism and discrimination, and that the German people made him feel very welcomed. They were helpful to him even though there was a language barrier.
Germany offered Tarek residency for three years. It was a protection residency, which means that should things become stable again in Syria, they would have to return to the country. So Tarek decided to refuse the residency, and appealed for a migration residency instead.
Feeling more confident about his ability to stay in Germany longer-term, Tarek decided to study the German language, which he finds difficult. But he wants to learn so he can finally achieve his dream of being a mechanic.
Tarek’s sister, since she was under the age of 18, was taken into care by the government so that she could access child services and continue her education.
