Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil declared that “Strong Lebanon” bloc will present a draft law pertaining to regulating the entry of foreigners to Lebanon and residing here.
During a press conference, Bassil noted that “the draft law brings together humanity and sovereignty and reflects our human and sovereign ideology,” revealing that the proposal includes provisions allowing the immediate deportation of any foreigner who illegally enters the Lebanese territory and threatens peace and safety.
He added that the draft law also seeks to establish shelters linked to the General Security for foreigners to receive all foreigners whose residency permit has expired, as well as exempting those whose conditions are not well from paying fines.
According to Bassil, the bloc’s proposal imposes severe punishment on human smugglers and considers their crime as felony, rather than misdemeanor, where the jail sentence ranges from 3 to 7 years.
“It also imposes a financial penalty on those who employ foreigners outside the fields they are allowed to according to the law,” Bassil stated.