In an unexpected move this week, the Trump administration will announce that it is extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Lebanese citizens in the US for another six months, until November.
The decision, filed in the US Federal Register on Wednesday, is scheduled for publication on Friday.
It is the first voluntary extension of TPS carried out since President Donald Trump returned to power in January 2025. His attempts to terminate designations for citizens of Haiti, Somalia, and Venezuela, among others, have been halted - at least temporarily - by the courts.
According to the filing, however, the rationale appears to be that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin has not had the capacity to review TPS for Lebanon and make a determination 60 days before the expiry date.
That means TPS is automatically renewed for six months.
