ReThinking Foreign Policy is proud to be among more than 100 organizations endorsing legislation to secure and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to people fleeing Lebanon.
Israel’s merciless onslaught on Lebanon and ongoing occupation of the southern part of the country have created a terrible danger for civilians. Those Lebanese who have taken refuge in the united States are entitled to expect that they can remain here at least until the danger of returning to Lebanon has passed.
The United States, due to its blind support of Israel’s crimes regardless of the extent of Israeli atrocities, owes it to those who have been forced to flee Lebanon both during the current occupation and over the years as Lebanon has been battered by one policy–American, Israeli, Syrian, Iranian–after another, that they should not have to rely on the capricious whims of the Trump administration to remain in the United States.
This legislation that Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell have put forth, co-sponsored by 18 other members, would protect Lebanese citizens who have sought shelter in the U.S. It is the very least we can do. Indeed, we should do more.
“We must stand up for our Lebanese neighbors,” said Rep. Tlaib. “The Israeli government continues to illegally occupy and ethnically cleanse entire towns in Lebanon, bulldozing homes that have housed our constituents’ families for generations. Israeli airstrikes continue to kill Lebanese civilians, armed and funded with our tax dollars. To tear Lebanese TPS holders from our communities and send them back to suffer from these war crimes is unacceptable. Our neighbors deserve safety and stability. They belong here, and I will always fight for them.”
“Michigan is home to tens of thousands of Lebanese Americans who have lived here for generations. Today, they live in fear for their families as conditions in Lebanon are too dangerous for them to return. We have a responsibility to provide refuge to those seeking shelter from catastrophe and conflict, and I have long fought for temporary protected status to provide safety and security to those who need it most,” said Rep. Dingell. “We must extend temporary protected status until we can ensure that families can safely return home.”
You can read the full press release here.