Aug 10 2006

Senators Durbin and Sununu Call for Temporary Protected Status for Lebanese Nationals

In response to recent devastation in Lebanon, in which nearly a million people have been displaced, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and John Sununu (R-NH) presented a new proposal to address immigration issues related to displaced Lebanese nationals. The Lebanese Temporary Protected Status Act of 2006 would provide temporary protected status for Lebanese citizens affected by the devastation caused by the hostilities with Israel. According to the proposed Act, nationals of Lebanon who have been continuously present in the U.S. since the enactment of this proposed act and who are otherwise admissible as immigrants to the U.S. would be provided with temporary protected status for one year.

Temporary Protected Status can be provided to nationals of other nations who are currently residing in the U.S. in cases where returning to their country would pose a serious threat to their personal safety due to ongoing armed conflict, the temporary effects of an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.