Parliament debates refugees, Mikati labels $1B as ‘ongoing aid’

Parliament met on Wednesday to address the Syrian refugee crisis and the recent controversial EU aid package, with lawmakers from across the political spectrum calling for increased refugee returns and stricter measures.

“Lebanon’s fate hinges on this session,” said Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as he opened the meeting.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized the need for national consensus to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis. He noted that the $1 billion EU aid package is “unconditional” and not part of any new agreement with the EU. Mikati clarified that the aid continues previous support programs and insisted that assistance should encourage Syrians to return home, emphasizing that most of Syria is now safe.

MP Georges Adwan of the Lebanese Forces urged the government to “immediately start deporting every illegal Syrian resident,” arguing that aid should be provided in Syria, not Lebanon.

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil warned that the European aid package aims to “keep the refugees in Lebanon and prevent them from going to Europe.” He called for coordination with the Syrian government and stressed that Lebanese actions should follow the law and respect human dignity.

Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel asserted that “most areas in Syria are now safe,” criticizing Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s suggestion to “open the seas” for refugees wishing to go to Europe. Gemayel proposed using land routes for deporting illegal Syrians and argued that controlling the border and deporting law-violating Syrians would solve 80% of Lebanon’s refugee problem.

The EU recently announced a 1 billion euro ($1.06 billion) aid package, with about 200 million euros allocated for security and border control, aiming to reduce migration to Europe. While Mikati welcomed the aid, other officials viewed it as a bribe to keep refugees in Lebanon.

Lebanon, with a population of about 6 million, hosts nearly 780,000 registered Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands more unregistered, the highest per capita refugee population in the world. Lebanese officials have long urged the international community to either resettle the refugees elsewhere or facilitate their return to Syria. Recently, Lebanese political parties have increasingly demanded the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese security forces have ramped up deportations of Syrians, though not to the extent announced two years ago when the government planned to deport 15,000 Syrians monthly to “safe areas” in cooperation with Damascus.

Many struggling Lebanese accuse Syrian refugees of taking jobs by accepting lower wages and benefiting from humanitarian aid. Lebanese leaders claim that most Syrians in Lebanon are economic migrants rather than war refugees, despite the conflict in Syria entering its 13th year.

In recent weeks, Lebanese security agents have raided businesses employing undocumented Syrian workers and shut them down.