JAKARTA - The United States government under President Donald Trump will extend deportation protection and work permits for thousands of Lebanese citizens in the US for six months, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Wednesday.
Around 11,000 people from Lebanon are covered by the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), according to a 2024 estimate. With this extension, they will be allowed to stay and work legally in the US until November 27, the notice said, citing Al Arabiya from Reuters (28/5).
The Trump administration has sought to end most enrollment in the TPS program, saying allowing the immigrants to stay is against U.S. interests.
Created by Congress in 1990, TPS provides deportation protection and work permits to people already in the US if their home country experiences a natural disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary event.
Countries must be designated for the status by the secretary of homeland security for a period of six to 18 months.
In a notice Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Secretary Markwayne Mullin did not have enough time to review Lebanon's designation and the designation was allowed to be automatically extended.
The notification cited tensions in the region related to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and continued cross-border attacks.
Israel itself continued to bombard Lebanon with its latest air raids on Tuesday in one of the heaviest bombing days in recent weeks.
Mullin, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, was confirmed as secretary in March after President Trump fired Kristi Noem.
As minister, Noem had ended TPS for states that were soon to be extended, triggering a lawsuit claiming the termination was not through proper review and was motivated by racial animus.
The Supreme Court in April heard oral arguments on the termination of TPS for Haitians and Syrians, with a ruling expected at the end of the court's June or early July term.
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