I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6095 

To designate Lebanon under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality 

Act to permit nationals of Lebanon to be eligible for temporary protected 

status under such section, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 30, 2021 

Ms. TLAIB (for herself, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. LOFGREN, and Mr. NADLER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To designate Lebanon under section 244 of the Immigration 

and Nationality Act to permit nationals of Lebanon to 

be eligible for temporary protected status under such 

section, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lebanon TPS Act of 

5 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) On August 4, 2020, one of the most power4 ful explosions ever to impact an urban population 

5 ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut. The 

6 blast—linked to 2,750 metric tons of ammonium ni7 trate stored in a warehouse—killed at least 220 peo8 ple, wounded approximately 7,000, left an estimated 

9 300,000 people homeless, and caused approximately 

10 $15,000,000,000 in property damage. 

11 (2) The COVID–19 pandemic has taken a 

12 heavy toll on Lebanon, which has recorded over 

13 628,000 cases and 8,400 deaths since the pandemic 

14 began. Lebanon’s public health system, already 

15 weakened by the Beirut disaster and political up16 heaval, has struggled to cope in the face of the pan17 demic. 

18 (3) While progress has been made towards a re19 turn to political normalcy, Lebanon lacked a fully 

20 formed government for much of the COVID–19 pan21 demic and the political establishment remains highly 

22 polarized and divided. 

23 (4) Lebanon has been experiencing one of the 

24 worst economic crises in its history at the same time 

25 as the COVID–19 pandemic, Beirut Port explosion, 

26 and political crisis. 


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1 (5) According to the United Nations, up to 78 

2 percent of the Lebanese population (3,000,000 peo3 ple) were living in poverty as of March 2021. 

4 (6) Per the United Nations, 36 percent of the 

5 Lebanese population (1,380,000 people) are experi6 encing extreme poverty. 

7 (7) Since October 2019, the Lebanese pound 

8 has lost 90 percent of its value, resulting in a year9 on-year inflation rate of more than 120 percent from 

10 May 2020 to May 2021. 

11 (8) Food prices have skyrocketed, increasing 

12 400 percent in 2020 alone. 

13 (9) In July 2021, the United Nations Chil14 dren’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that Lebanon’s 

15 water system is on the verge of collapse, with more 

16 than 70 percent of the country facing critical water 

17 shortages. In January 2019, 1,000 Lebanese pounds 

18 bought 4 liters of water. By August 2021, it only 

19 bought half a liter. 

20 (10) Dire fuel shortages plague Lebanon, lead21 ing the American University of Beirut Medical Cen22 ter, Beirut’s top hospital and one of the leading 

23 medical centers in the region, to issue a warning in 

24 August 2021 that hundreds of patients would die if 


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1 they failed to secure enough fuel to keep their gen2 erators running. 

3 (11) The combined crises have strained many of 

4 Lebanon’s public institutions to the breaking point, 

5 including the Lebanese Army, whose budget and sol6 diers’ salaries have been devastated by the devalu7 ation of the Lebanese Pound. 

8 (12) On October 14, 2021, gunmen fired on a 

9 crowd of protestors gathered near the Beirut Justice 

10 Palace sparking heavy armed clashes in nearby 

11 neighborhoods. The ensuing fighting killed at least 

12 seven individuals and wounded more than 30 others. 

13 As of October 28, 2021, 68 people have been 

14 charged with murder, attempted murder, stirring 

15 sectarian strife, possession of illicit war weapons, 

16 and destroying private and public property. 

17 (13) Tensions remain extremely high as the in18 vestigation into the clashes is still ongoing leading to 

19 fears of further violence and instability. 

20 (14) Numerous residents of Beirut living in the 

21 vicinity of the clashes have been quoted by domestic 

22 and international media comparing the October 14th 

23 clashes and ongoing tensions to the devastating 

24 1975–1990 Lebanese civil war, reflecting well-foundVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:55 Dec 09, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6095.IH H6095

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1 ed fears of the potential for a return to significant 

2 sectarian violence. 

3 (15) The United States has long stood with the 

4 Lebanese people in times of need and standing with 

5 them now is both morally right and in line with our 

6 national interests. 

7 (16) President Biden’s pledge of an additional 

8 $98,000,000 in aid to Lebanon on the first anniver9 sary of the Beirut Port explosion was a good first 

10 step in supporting the Lebanese people, and desig11 nating Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status 

12 (TPS) is the logical next step given the cir13 cumstances. 

14 (17) Lebanon needs significant continued inter15 national support to prevent the worsening of its eco16 nomic, social, political, and public health crises and 

17 to rebuild from this period of extraordinary difficulty 

18 for the Lebanese people. 

19 (18) A country is designated for TPS when it 

20 is determined by the United States Government that 

21 it is unsafe for its citizens to return to due to ‘‘ongo22 ing armed conflict’’, ‘‘environmental disaster’’, or 

23 ‘‘extraordinary and temporary conditions in the for24 eign state that prevent aliens who are nationals of 

25 the state from returning to the state in safety’’. 


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1 (19) The combined crises facing Lebanon 

2 amount to extraordinary and temporary conditions 

3 that prevent Lebanese nationals from safely return4 ing to Lebanon. Any returned individual would have 

5 to contend without access to clean water, adequate 

6 healthcare, and affordable basic necessities—all in 

7 the face of the very real threat of significant political 

8 violence. After years of uncertainty, these individuals 

9 deserve stability and temporary relief in the United 

10 States. 

11 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEM12 PORARY PROTECTED STATUS. 

13 (a) DESIGNATION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 244 

15 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

16 1254a), Lebanon shall be treated as if it had been 

17 designated under subsection (b)(1)(A) of that sec18 tion, subject to the provisions of this section. 

19 (2) PERIOD OF DESIGNATION.—The initial pe20 riod of the designation referred to in paragraph (1) 

21 shall be for the 18-month period beginning on the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act. 

23 (b) ALIENS ELIGIBLE.—As a result of the designa24 tion made under subsection (a), an alien who is a national 

25 of Lebanon is deemed to satisfy the requirements under 


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1 paragraph (1) of section 244(c) of the Immigration and 

2 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)), subject to paragraph 

3 (3) of such section, if the alien— 

4 (1) has been continuously physically present in 

5 the United States since the date of the enactment of 

6 this Act; 

7 (2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as 

8 otherwise provided in paragraph (2)(A) of such sec9 tion, and is not ineligible for temporary protected 

10 status under paragraph (2)(B) of such section; and 

11 (3) registers for temporary protected status in 

12 a manner established by the Secretary of Homeland 

13 Security. 

14 (c) CONSENT TO TRAVEL ABROAD.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

16 Security shall give prior consent to travel abroad, in 

17 accordance with section 244(f)(3) of the Immigra18 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(3)), to 

19 an alien who is granted temporary protected status 

20 pursuant to the designation made under subsection 

21 (a) if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the 

22 Secretary of Homeland Security that emergency and 

23 extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the 

24 alien require the alien to depart for a brief, tem25 porary trip abroad. 


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1 (2) TREATMENT UPON RETURN.—An alien re2 turning to the United States in accordance with an 

3 authorization described in paragraph (1) shall be 

4 treated as any other returning alien provided tem5 porary protected status under section 244 of the Im6 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a). 

7 SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

8 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

9 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

10 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

11 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

12 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

13 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro14 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

15 vote on passage. 

Æ 


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