Australia refuses to return its nationals from the "Roj" camp in Al-Hasakah

On Saturday, April 25,  2026, the Australian government refused to provide any support for the return of its nationals in northeastern Syria who are suspected of being linked to ISIS, after reports were received that a number of Australian families left the "Roj" camp in Al-Hasakah towards Damascus in preparation for their return to their country.

The Australian National Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that four Australian women with nine of their children and grandchildren left the camp on Friday, with the help of local authorities who took over their transfer to the capital, Damascus, in a move aimed at arranging their air travel to Australia.

An Australian government spokesperson told AFP that "the Australian government is not and will not repatriate people from Syria," stressing that security services are closely monitoring developments to ensure readiness in the event that any of these individuals return independently. He added that anyone found to be involved in crimes will face Australian law, and that protecting national security and the safety of citizens remains an absolute priority for the government.

Recent Comeback Attempts in 2026

 In  February 2026, a group of 34 Australians (11 women and 23 children) set out from Roj camp towards Damascus with the help of their relatives, but they were forced to return to the camp due to "procedural problems" and coordination with the authorities in Damascus.

In October 2025, two women and 4 children arrived in the Australian state of Victoria after "escaping" from al-Hol camp and infiltrating across the border into Lebanon, where they obtained travel documents from the Australian embassy in Beirut and returned via commercial flights, and the Ministry of Interior clarified at the time that this return was "subjective" and not part of an official evacuation process by the government.

Human rights groups press for the return of children

The  issue of the return of families linked to ISIS is a political point of contention in Australia, as the opposition calls for tighter laws to prevent the return of any individuals with links to organizations classified as "terrorist", while human rights organizations, including Save the Children Australia, are calling on the government to approach the issue from a humanitarian perspective, especially  with regard to children facing harsh conditions inside the camps in terms of health, education and psychological support.

The organization filed a lawsuit in 2023 on behalf of 11 women and 20 children, demanding their return to Australia, but the federal court dismissed the lawsuit on  the grounds that the government had no direct control over their places of detention inside Syria.

 New  South Wales Premier Chris Means said any potential repatriation would require clear safeguards and support programmes, particularly for children, to facilitate their reintegration into society.

Harsh punitive measures

Once returnees from ISIS areas  arrive at Australian airports, a series of tight security and legal measures begin, with the federal police arresting adults as soon as they disembark and subjecting them to in-depth investigations to determine their level of affiliation with the group, based on "declared areas" laws that make it a crime in itself to be in certain areas inside Syria, making it easy to bring accusations even in the absence of direct evidence of fighting.

Police use "control orders" that restrict the movement of returnees through electronic tracking devices, curfews, prohibitions on the use of encrypted apps or communication with certain parties, as well as periodic reports to the police, while children are taken directly to comprehensive health and psychological assessments, and are often placed in the care of relatives within Australia and integrated into rehabilitation and deradicalization programmes under social and security supervision.

The government uses temporary exclusion orders (TEOs) to control the conditions of return of individuals and impose restrictions on them for up to two years, while the revocation of citizenship for dual nationals has been reversed after legal challenges, so the state is moving towards prosecuting returnees within its territory rather than leaving them abroad.