US extends Temporary Protected Status for Lebanon until November

By Ted Hesson and Ryan Patrick Jones

WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - The Trump administration will extend deportation protections and work permits for thousands of Lebanese nationals in the U.S. for six months, according to a notice posted to the Federal Register on Wednesday.

Some 11,000 people from Lebanon are covered under the Temporary Protected Status designation, according to a 2024 estimate. Under the move, they will be allowed to live and work legally in the U.S. through November 27, the notice said.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has moved to end the vast majority of enrollment in the TPS program, saying allowing those immigrants to remain goes against U.S. interests.

Created by the U.S. Congress in 1990, TPS provides deportation relief and work permits to people already in the U.S. if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. Countries must be designated for the status by the homeland security secretary for periods of six to 18 months.

In the notice on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Secretary Markwayne Mullin had not had adequate time to review Lebanon's designation and that it was allowed to renew automatically.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Chizu Nomiyama)