Deferred Enforced Departure Announced for Certain Lebanese Nationals

Quick Hits

• President Biden announced Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for an eighteen-month period for Lebanese nationals, starting July 26, 2024.
• The DED order directs DHS to authorize employment for Lebanese nationals “whose removal has been deferred, as provided by [the] memorandum, for the duration of such deferral, and to consider suspending regulatory requirements with respect to F-1 nonimmigrant students who are Lebanese nationals.”

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) is not an immigration status, but rather a form of temporary relief from removal. During this period, individuals that are eligible for DED are not subject to removal from the United States and may request employment authorization for a prescribed period of time.

As stated in the presidential memorandum, this action is due to the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon. This action blocks the removal of any Lebanese national who is present in the United States as of July 26, 2024, except for those individuals:

(1) who have voluntarily returned to Lebanon after the date of this memorandum;

(2) who have not continuously resided in the United States since the date of this memorandum;

(3) who are inadmissible under section 212(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)) or deportable under section 237(a)(4) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(4));

(4) who have been convicted of any felony or two or more misdemeanors committed in the United States, or who meet any of the criteria set forth in section 208(b)(2)(A) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(2)(A));

(5) who are subject to extradition;

(6) whose presence in the United States the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined is not in the interest of the United States or presents a danger to public safety; or

(7) whose presence in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments and will publish updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

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