Temporary Protected Status extended for 11,000 Lebanese in US for six months

The Trump administration has extended temporary protection for about 11,000 Lebanese nationals in the United States. The move lets eligible people stay and keep working for another six months. The Department of Homeland Security announced the change on Thursday. The decision comes as fighting continues in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

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The extension happened automatically under US law. The administration missed a required deadline to decide on the protection status. By statute, the benefit rolls over for six months if DHS does not act. The measure is called Temporary Protected Status. Republicans have often criticised such temporary immigration protections.

Temporary Protected Status extension for Lebanese in the US

A DHS notice said leaders could not complete a decision by March 28. It stated that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and current Secretary Markwayne Mullin lacked enough information. Mullin has led the department for the past two months. Because DHS missed the deadline, the Lebanese TPS designation continued without a separate approval.

According to the notice, protections now run through Nov. 27, 2026. The extension applies to existing beneficiaries who still meet TPS eligibility rules. It also covers work authorisation already granted under the programme. Those work permits remain valid until Nov. 27, 2026, matching the new protection end date.

Temporary Protected Status history and Trump administration actions

Congress created Temporary Protected Status in 1990. It aimed to stop removals to places hit by disasters or civil unrest. TPS also allows recipients to work, usually in periods of up to 18 months. The DHS announcement described the Lebanese change as a continuation of these short-term protections.

The automatic outcome was unusual for this administration’s broader approach. The Trump administration has cancelled TPS protections that covered people from 13 countries. Those countries included Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Syria. The extension for Lebanese therefore stood out, even though it resulted from a missed deadline.

At the start of the Trump administration, more than 1 million immigrants from 17 countries had TPS protection. That figure followed expanded use of TPS under the Biden administration. For Lebanese beneficiaries, the latest DHS notice keeps current protections in place until late 2026, as long as eligibility continues.

With inputs from PTI