Temporary Protection through Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Palestinians in the United States

• In Event: 20452 - MENA Global Migration and Identities

Abstract

On February 14, 2024, the Biden Administration determined that it was within the “foreign policy interest” of the United States to grant unauthorized Palestinians residing in the United States Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). For a period of 18 months, “certain Palestinians present in the US” will not be subjected to deportation and will have access to employment authorization documentation. I propose to examine the development, implementation, and effects of DED for Palestinians living in the United States. Data collection for this project will include in-depth interviews with Palestinians residing in the United States who have either qualified for DED or seek to qualify for DED. I will also interview lawyers and advocates who have supported this form of temporary protection and those who have argued for supporting alternative interventions. I analyze DED within the context of the larger Palestinian diaspora in the United States, which is less than 200,000 people. The Palestinian case, and its relationship with statelessness, pushes us to think critically about the role of varying legal statuses, the ways these statuses are tied to geopolitics, and how the experience of folks within the diaspora in the US can shape politics abroad.

Author

• Rawan Arar, University of Washington