The Biden administration on Thursday announced temporary legal status for Lebanese citizens already in the United States, likely pleasing some Arab voters , including in the battleground state of Michigan.
The announcement, together with an earlier offer in July, brings the number of Lebanese who will be able to stay in the country and become eligible for work authorization to about 11,000, according to the Homeland Security Department. The offer is for people already in the US on Wednesday and it is for a period of 18 months.
Temporary Protected Status will allow Lebanese citizens to stay "while the United States is in discussions to achieve a diplomatic solution for lasting stability and security across the Israel-Lebanon border," Homeland Security said in a statement. They must have been in the United States on Wednesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been forced to deal with conflict in Lebanon and across the Mideast in the final weeks of their White House campaign.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have been clashing since Oct. 8, 2023, when the Lebanese militant group began firing rockets over the border in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza .
