Populika
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): Populika

Policy on Refusal of Repatriation of Indonesian Citizens Former ISIS Members and Unseen Security Threats

Umul Fadilatul Ulla (UIN Sunan Ampel)
Zaky Ismail (UIN Sunan Ampel)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Jul 2026

Abstract

The defeat of ISIS has left many Indonesian citizens who were once members of the radical group trapped in conflict zones. However, this study argues that refusing repatriation will not completely eliminate security risks, as deportation loopholes will directly force Indonesia to accept returning Indonesian citizens without going through strict procedures. This study will use a qualitative descriptive approach and case study analysis to examine in depth Indonesia's decision to refuse repatriation and the security loophole from the policy. The case studies of Rullie Zeke and Ulfa, Indonesian citizens affiliated with ISIS, are used as examples of the limitations of deportation in preventing cross border radicalization and terrorism. Deportation makes countries vulnerable because they have to accept highly risky individuals without being able to refuse them, which ultimately weakens their longterm risk mitigation capacity. There is a potential for new, unseen threats if the policy of refusing repatriation continues to be implemented without other adaptive policies. Keywords: Deportation; Repatriation Policy; National Security.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

populika

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences Other

Description

Jurnal POPULIKA is an open access, and peer-reviewed journal. Our main goal is to disseminate current and original articles from researchers and practitioners on various contemporary social and political issues: gender politics and identity, digital society and disruption, civil society movement, ...