The DED will allow eligible Lebanese nationals to legally remain in the Unites States for 18 months
July 26, 2024
Washington, DC — Today, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced a Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Lebanese nationals currently residing in the United States. This decision reflects the ongoing humanitarian crisis in southern Lebanon, where ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel along the southern border have significantly escalated instability. The conflict has displaced more than 96,000 Lebanese citizens and resulted in over 400 deaths, making return unsafe for many individuals.
The DED will be in effect for 18 months, beginning July 26, 2024, and extending through January 26, 2026. During this period, eligible Lebanese nationals present in the U.S. as of the announcement date, July 26th, have their deportation deferred, allowing them to legally remain in the US for 18 months.
To qualify, individuals must not have voluntarily returned to Lebanon after July 26th, must have continuously resided in the U.S. since July 26th, and must meet other eligibility criteria. Exceptions include individuals who are inadmissible or deportable under specific sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), those convicted of serious crimes, or those whose presence poses security or foreign policy concerns.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will facilitate employment authorization for those with deferred deportation status and will consider suspending certain regulatory requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant students from Lebanon to prevent disruptions to their education. The administration’s decision to implement DED for Lebanese nationals is a crucial step to ensure protection for individuals who cannot safely return to Lebanon due to the severe ongoing crisis.
The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) has long advocated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanon and similar protections, working closely with the Communities for Status and Protection (CUSP). NNAAC’s advocacy highlights the critical role of these protective measures in providing essential relief to individuals facing unsafe conditions in their home countries.
“We welcome the Biden Administration’s decision to grant Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to 12,000 Lebanese nationals in the U.S., protecting them from unsafe conditions in Lebanon. This provides them with security and stability while Lebanon faces a severe humanitarian crisis. We urge the administration to extend similar protections to other vulnerable immigrant populations,” states Rima Meroueh, Executive Director of NNAAC.
“While we acknowledge that DED for Lebanon, and recently DED for Palestine, are small steps towards protecting our communities here in the United States from returning to dangerous conditions, we must stop sending weapons or funding to the Israeli military and advocate for immediate de-escalation in Israel and occupied Palestine” says Carolyn Tran, Executive Director of CUSP.
About NNAAC:
The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), an institution of ACCESS, is a growing network of independent Arab American community-based organizations around the country.
NNAAC is a consortium of 36 Arab American community-based organizations in 13 states. NNAAC’s mission is to improve the lives of Arab Americans by amplifying their voices, strengthening the capacity of member organizations, improving representation and increasing accountability to our communities. We are building a movement to ensure that Arab Americans are recognized as valuable contributing members of the country we all call home. To support its mission, NNAAC has four main programs: capacity building, policy and advocacy, civic engagement, and youth leadership.
About CUSP:
Communities for Status and Protection (CUSP) is a collaborative of grassroots immigrant orgs working to win permanent status & build a more inclusive immigrant rights movement centering the needs and experiences of African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), and API immigrants.
For more information, please contact:
For the National Network for Arab American Communities:
Thatyana Magnavita – Deputy Director of Marketing and Communications
tmagnavita@accesscommunity.org
Cell: 321-347-8528
Rima Meroueh – Director, NNAAC
rmeroueh@accesscommunity.org
Amal Mohamud – Public Policy Associate
amohamud@accesscommunity.org