US President Joe Biden has decided to postpone the deportation of Lebanese nationals from the United States due to tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the White House said in a statement on Friday.
The White House said Biden sent a memo to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security regarding the postponement of the forced departure of some Lebanese nationals.
The US President said in the statement, "The humanitarian situation in southern Lebanon has deteriorated significantly due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. While I am focused on calming the situation and improving the humanitarian situation, many civilians remain at risk. Therefore, I have issued directives to postpone the removal of some Lebanese citizens present in the United States."
He added: "Pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct the foreign relations of the United States, I have determined that it is in the foreign policy interests of the United States to postpone the removal of any Lebanese national for 18 months, subject to the conditions and exceptions provided."
The US President continued, saying: “Accordingly, I am directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to take appropriate measures to postpone the removal of any Lebanese national who is in the United States on the date of this memorandum for a period of 18 months, except for:
- Those who voluntarily returned to Lebanon after the date of this memorandum.
- who have not been continuously resident in the United States as of the date of this memorandum.
- Inadmissible under section 212(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act or deportable under section 237(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- who have been convicted of any felony or two or more felonies committed in the United States or who meet any of the criteria set forth in Section 208(b)(2)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- Those subject to delivery.
- Those whose presence in the United States is determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security to be not in the best interests of the United States or to pose a threat to public safety.
- whose presence in the United States, in the Secretary of State's opinion, would result in potentially serious consequences for the foreign policy of the United States.
Biden also directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to take appropriate measures to permit the employment of aliens whose removal has been deferred as set forth in the memorandum for the duration of the deferral, and to consider suspending regulatory requirements with respect to nonimmigrant students on F-1 visas who are citizens of Lebanon as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security to be appropriate.
At the end of his statement, the US President indicated that the Secretary of Homeland Security has the right to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register .
The border between Lebanon and Israel is still witnessing ongoing tension and exchange of shelling, amid international and UN efforts to contain the conflict for fear of its expansion into a comprehensive war.