MIAMI (AP) — The Trump administration has extended protections shielding about 11,000 Lebanese from deportation, allowing them to stay and work in the United States for another six months.
The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures that had previously been harshly criticized by Republicans. The extension comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops are engaging Hezbollah fighters.
The decision was automatic, meaning that the administration missed the deadline to decide whether to extend the mode called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanese people living in the U.S. Covered by the program. By statute, the status automatically extends for six months if the department misses the deadline.
“This extension allows existing beneficiaries to keep their protections through Nov. 27, 2026, if they still meet the eligibility requirements for TPS,” the DHS notice said. The work permits that were already issued for Lebanese TPS holders will also remain valid until that day.
The extension is an unusual outcome for an administration that has already cancelled TPS for people from 13 other countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Syria. TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations of individuals from countries experiencing extreme conditions. At the start of the Trump administration, more than 1 million immigrants from 17 countries were protected; Biden has expanded the program dramatically since.
This automatic extension, the latest in a handful of renegotiations of the program, underscores the complexity of maintaining protections in an era of heightened domestic and international tension.
The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures that had previously been harshly criticized by Republicans. The extension comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops are engaging Hezbollah fighters.
The decision was automatic, meaning that the administration missed the deadline to decide whether to extend the mode called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanese people living in the U.S. Covered by the program. By statute, the status automatically extends for six months if the department misses the deadline.
“This extension allows existing beneficiaries to keep their protections through Nov. 27, 2026, if they still meet the eligibility requirements for TPS,” the DHS notice said. The work permits that were already issued for Lebanese TPS holders will also remain valid until that day.
The extension is an unusual outcome for an administration that has already cancelled TPS for people from 13 other countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Syria. TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations of individuals from countries experiencing extreme conditions. At the start of the Trump administration, more than 1 million immigrants from 17 countries were protected; Biden has expanded the program dramatically since.
This automatic extension, the latest in a handful of renegotiations of the program, underscores the complexity of maintaining protections in an era of heightened domestic and international tension.
