US Declares Lebanon's Consul in Detroit Persona Non Grata Over Posts

The United States has declared Lebanon's consul general in Detroit persona non grata, with a US State Department spokesperson saying that anyone in the country who celebrates or justifies terrorist attacks has no place there. The spokesperson framed the decision partly as a visa matter, noting that a visa is a privilege rather than a right.

Key facts

• Who: Ibrahim Charara, Lebanon's consul general in Detroit
• What: declared persona non grata by the United States
• Why: social media posts about attacks on Americans, including the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing
• Where: Detroit, an area with a large Lebanese population
• Not stated: any deadline for him to leave, or the effect on consular services

Why was the consul declared persona non grata?

A US State Department spokesperson said the department continually reviews information about members of foreign missions accredited to the United States, including any national security concerns, and acts in line with US law and international obligations. The spokesperson referred to the bombings of the US Embassy compounds in Beirut in 1983 and 1984, in which terrorists killed Americans and colleagues.

The spokesperson added that a visa is a privilege not a right, and said anyone in the United States who celebrates or justifies terrorist attacks has no place in the country.

What did the consul write?

Ibrahim Charara serves as Lebanon's consul general in Detroit, a role described as important because of the large Lebanese population in the Detroit area. On 23 November 2021, the anniversary of the barracks bombing, he wrote that a "heroic resistance" had ended what he called American military occupation of Lebanon with a single strike.

He also wrote that the fight would run from the Marines barracks in Beirut to the Al-Tanf base, a reference to a purported Iran and Hezbollah drone attack on American soldiers at the Al-Tanf base in Syria in 2021. The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement is believed to have been behind the Beirut attack, in which two suicide bombers killed 241 Marines, 58 French soldiers and 6 civilians at military facilities in Beirut.

What this means for travellers

The announcement concerns one accredited diplomat, and the statement does not change visa or entry rules for other Lebanese or other travellers to the United States. The source does not say when the consul must leave the country, whether his own visa has been withdrawn, or how the designation affects consular services offered to the Lebanese community in the Detroit area.

Anyone who relies on that consulate for documents may want to check its current arrangements directly. No further steps or dates have been announced.