WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct 3, 2024 — In a series of high-level meetings today in Washington, D.C., State Representative Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn), Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Michigan, and Chris Habiby, government affairs director of ADC, met with senior government officials at a West Wing meeting to discuss the urgent plight of 80,000 American citizens currently stranded in Lebanon. Discussions were also had with the Embassy of Lebanon, and with U.S. Congressional members. The group highlighted the critical need for immediate U.S. Government intervention to initiate evacuation operations, and stressed the problems created by a lack of clear communication from the U.S. Government. The ADC proposed leveraging Turkey and Greece’s air resources to facilitate evacuation efforts and avoid the disastrous consequences of further delaying these operations.
“Every moment that passes without evacuation flights further endangers the lives of Americans. The United States has an obligation to protect its citizens and must do everything possible to bring them home,” Farhat said. “Families in my district are already grieving the loss of loved ones killed by Israeli bombs. This administration must act now.”
Three American citizens from Dearborn have already been killed by Israeli bombs, and many more remain at risk as the violence escalates. Today’s meetings highlighted the lessons learned from the 2006 Lebanon War, where a delayed evacuation response resulted in the loss of lives. The current situation mirrors that crisis, and the urgent need for dedicated, coordinated evacuation efforts, including by chartering flights and ferrying people to Cyprus, was strongly emphasized.
“American citizens in Lebanon are facing dire circumstances, and the need for an immediate evacuation plan cannot be overstated,” Abed Ayoub said. “The lives of American citizens are in danger, and our government must act swiftly and decisively, as it has done in the past.”
In addition to the evacuation request, today’s meetings also stressed the need to grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to Lebanese citizens in the United States and establish a humanitarian parole program for those in Lebanon. Ongoing violence in the region has contributed to the death of at least 1,700 and displaced over a million people, endangers the lives of everyone in Lebanon. Designating TPS and establishing a humanitarian parole program, similar to those established for Afghanistan and Ukraine, would reflect the U.S. commitment to offering refuge to civilians caught in conflict.
###