Debbie Dingell
07/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/12/2024 12:25
Dingell, Kildee Lead 26 Colleagues in Urging Lebanon TPS Designation
Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Dan Kildee (MI-08), along with 26 of their House colleagues, today sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging for the designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to protect Lebanese nationals in the United States and permit those affected by the ongoing crises in Lebanon to find safe haven in our country.
"Over the past five years, Lebanon has faced increasing difficulty in providing its citizens basic services due to its harrowing financial crisis. The economic meltdown has not only placed over half of the population below the poverty line in a time of food and fuel shortages, but it has also decimated the medical sector that faces a distinct lack of essential medical supplies and medical professionals," the lawmakers write. "The World Health Organization found that fuel shortages were causing most hospitals to operate at 50% capacity, and almost 40% of skilled medical doctors and 30% of registered nurses had fled the county."
"Lebanon's economic collapse and ensuing humanitarian catastrophe are unprecedented in their severity. The World Bank ranks the crisis among the top 10 most severe global episodes since the mid-19th century," the lawmakers continue. "In four years, Lebanon's real output has plummeted by 38 percent, the local currency has lost at least 98 percent of its value, and the country has suffered from hyperinflation, with nominal food prices increasing 350 percent. Data released by the United Nations and other aid agencies in August 2023 revealed that 1.4 million people, including both Lebanese citizens and refugees, are experiencing high levels of food insecurity in the country. Malnutrition and insufficient food consumption are prevalent."
"The United States has long offered refuge to those seeking shelter from catastrophe," the lawmakers conclude. "The crisis in the Middle East and the complex crisis in Lebanon provides an opportunity to honor this commitment by supporting Lebanese nationals in their time of need."
View the full text of the letter here.
"Over the past five years, Lebanon has faced increasing difficulty in providing its citizens basic services due to its harrowing financial crisis. The economic meltdown has not only placed over half of the population below the poverty line in a time of food and fuel shortages, but it has also decimated the medical sector that faces a distinct lack of essential medical supplies and medical professionals," the lawmakers write. "The World Health Organization found that fuel shortages were causing most hospitals to operate at 50% capacity, and almost 40% of skilled medical doctors and 30% of registered nurses had fled the county."
"Lebanon's economic collapse and ensuing humanitarian catastrophe are unprecedented in their severity. The World Bank ranks the crisis among the top 10 most severe global episodes since the mid-19th century," the lawmakers continue. "In four years, Lebanon's real output has plummeted by 38 percent, the local currency has lost at least 98 percent of its value, and the country has suffered from hyperinflation, with nominal food prices increasing 350 percent. Data released by the United Nations and other aid agencies in August 2023 revealed that 1.4 million people, including both Lebanese citizens and refugees, are experiencing high levels of food insecurity in the country. Malnutrition and insufficient food consumption are prevalent."
"The United States has long offered refuge to those seeking shelter from catastrophe," the lawmakers conclude. "The crisis in the Middle East and the complex crisis in Lebanon provides an opportunity to honor this commitment by supporting Lebanese nationals in their time of need."
View the full text of the letter here.