Lebanon TPS Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.6095 | Sponsor: Rep. Tlaib, Rashida (D-MI)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Lebanon TPS Act of 2021
This bill permits nationals of Lebanon to qualify for temporary protected status, which prevents their removal from the United States and allows them to obtain employment and travel authorization. Such status shall be available to qualifying nationals of Lebanon for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment.
To qualify, an individual must meet various requirements, such as not having been convicted for certain crimes.

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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lebanon TPS Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) On August 4, 2020, one of the most powerful explosions 
        ever to impact an urban population ripped through the Lebanese 
        capital of Beirut. The blast--linked to 2,750 metric tons of 
        ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse--killed at least 220 
        people, wounded approximately 7,000, left an estimated 300,000 
        people homeless, and caused approximately $15,000,000,000 in 
        property damage.
            (2) The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on 
        Lebanon, which has recorded over 628,000 cases and 8,400 deaths 
        since the pandemic began. Lebanon's public health system, 
        already weakened by the Beirut disaster and political upheaval, 
        has struggled to cope in the face of the pandemic.
            (3) While progress has been made towards a return to 
        political normalcy, Lebanon lacked a fully formed government 
        for much of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political 
        establishment remains highly polarized and divided.
            (4) Lebanon has been experiencing one of the worst economic 
        crises in its history at the same time as the COVID-19 
        pandemic, Beirut Port explosion, and political crisis.
            (5) According to the United Nations, up to 78 percent of 
        the Lebanese population (3,000,000 people) were living in 
        poverty as of March 2021.
            (6) Per the United Nations, 36 percent of the Lebanese 
        population (1,380,000 people) are experiencing extreme poverty.
            (7) Since October 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost 90 
        percent of its value, resulting in a year-on-year inflation 
        rate of more than 120 percent from May 2020 to May 2021.
            (8) Food prices have skyrocketed, increasing 400 percent in 
        2020 alone.
            (9) In July 2021, the United Nations Children's Fund 
        (UNICEF) warned that Lebanon's water system is on the verge of 
        collapse, with more than 70 percent of the country facing 
        critical water shortages. In January 2019, 1,000 Lebanese 
        pounds bought 4 liters of water. By August 2021, it only bought 
        half a liter.
            (10) Dire fuel shortages plague Lebanon, leading the 
        American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut's top 
        hospital and one of the leading medical centers in the region, 
        to issue a warning in August 2021 that hundreds of patients 
        would die if they failed to secure enough fuel to keep their 
        generators running.
            (11) The combined crises have strained many of Lebanon's 
        public institutions to the breaking point, including the 
        Lebanese Army, whose budget and soldiers' salaries have been 
        devastated by the devaluation of the Lebanese Pound.
            (12) On October 14, 2021, gunmen fired on a crowd of 
        protestors gathered near the Beirut Justice Palace sparking 
        heavy armed clashes in nearby neighborhoods. The ensuing 
        fighting killed at least seven individuals and wounded more 
        than 30 others. As of October 28, 2021, 68 people have been 
        charged with murder, attempted murder, stirring sectarian 
        strife, possession of illicit war weapons, and destroying 
        private and public property.
            (13) Tensions remain extremely high as the investigation 
        into the clashes is still ongoing leading to fears of further 
        violence and instability.
            (14) Numerous residents of Beirut living in the vicinity of 
        the clashes have been quoted by domestic and international 
        media comparing the October 14th clashes and ongoing tensions 
        to the devastating 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war, reflecting 
        well-founded fears of the potential for a return to significant 
        sectarian violence.
            (15) The United States has long stood with the Lebanese 
        people in times of need and standing with them now is both 
        morally right and in line with our national interests.
            (16) President Biden's pledge of an additional $98,000,000 
        in aid to Lebanon on the first anniversary of the Beirut Port 
        explosion was a good first step in supporting the Lebanese 
        people, and designating Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status 
        (TPS) is the logical next step given the circumstances.
            (17) Lebanon needs significant continued international 
        support to prevent the worsening of its economic, social, 
        political, and public health crises and to rebuild from this 
        period of extraordinary difficulty for the Lebanese people.
            (18) A country is designated for TPS when it is determined 
        by the United States Government that it is unsafe for its 
        citizens to return to due to ``ongoing armed conflict'', 
        ``environmental disaster'', or ``extraordinary and temporary 
        conditions in the foreign state that prevent aliens who are 
        nationals of the state from returning to the state in safety''.
            (19) The combined crises facing Lebanon amount to 
        extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Lebanese 
        nationals from safely returning to Lebanon. Any returned 
        individual would have to contend without access to clean water, 
        adequate healthcare, and affordable basic necessities--all in 
        the face of the very real threat of significant political 
        violence. After years of uncertainty, these individuals deserve 
        stability and temporary relief in the United States.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEMPORARY PROTECTED 
              STATUS.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of section 244 of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), Lebanon shall 
        be treated as if it had been designated under subsection 
        (b)(1)(A) of that section, subject to the provisions of this 
        section.
            (2) Period of designation.--The initial period of the 
        designation referred to in paragraph (1) shall be for the 18-
        month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
        Act.
    (b) Aliens Eligible.--As a result of the designation made under 
subsection (a), an alien who is a national of Lebanon is deemed to 
satisfy the requirements under paragraph (1) of section 244(c) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)), subject to 
paragraph (3) of such section, if the alien--
            (1) has been continuously physically present in the United 
        States since the date of the enactment of this Act;
            (2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as otherwise 
        provided in paragraph (2)(A) of such section, and is not 
        ineligible for temporary protected status under paragraph 
        (2)(B) of such section; and
            (3) registers for temporary protected status in a manner 
        established by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
    (c) Consent To Travel Abroad.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
        give prior consent to travel abroad, in accordance with section 
        244(f)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
        1254a(f)(3)), to an alien who is granted temporary protected 
        status pursuant to the designation made under subsection (a) if 
        the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security that emergency and extenuating circumstances 
        beyond the control of the alien require the alien to depart for 
        a brief, temporary trip abroad.
            (2) Treatment upon return.--An alien returning to the 
        United States in accordance with an authorization described in 
        paragraph (1) shall be treated as any other returning alien 
        provided temporary protected status under section 244 of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a).

SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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