Syrian refugees fearful as Lebanon steps up deportations

By ABBY SEWELL and KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

QAB ELIAS, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials have launched a crackdown on the country’s Syrian refugees against the backdrop of a worsening economic crisis and political stalemate. In recent weeks, the army has raided refugee camps and set up checkpoints to check the documentation of non-Lebanese citizens, arresting and in many cases deporting Syrians found not to have legal residency, according to refugees and humanitarian organizations. The new anti-refugee campaign comes against the backdrop of stalled negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, a six-month deadlock over selection of the country’s next president, and a regional rapprochement with the government of Bashar Assad in Syria.