The US State Department is considering expanding measures against citizens who fall behind on child support, including revoking passports for certain individuals, in a move based on a federal law dating back to the 1990s.
The Associated Press quoted a US official saying that “people whose unpaid debts exceed $100,000 could be among the first targeted by the measure,” noting that “enrolling in regular repayment plans may allow them to avoid passport revocation.” Other officials stated that the administration intends to activate powers granted under the “Personal Responsibility, Work, and Opportunity Reconciliation Act” of 1996.
This law gives authorities the right to implement the “passport denial program,” which allows for refusing to issue or renew passports for individuals whose arrears exceed $2,500. Previously, this measure was mostly applied during passport renewal or when requesting consular services, but the new approach involves actively searching for defaulters and taking action against them.
The State Department said it is reviewing options for enforcing the law to prevent those who owe large sums from evading their legal obligations to their children, while no additional comments were provided regarding the specifics or timing of the move.
The Associated Press quoted a US official saying that “people whose unpaid debts exceed $100,000 could be among the first targeted by the measure,” noting that “enrolling in regular repayment plans may allow them to avoid passport revocation.” Other officials stated that the administration intends to activate powers granted under the “Personal Responsibility, Work, and Opportunity Reconciliation Act” of 1996.
This law gives authorities the right to implement the “passport denial program,” which allows for refusing to issue or renew passports for individuals whose arrears exceed $2,500. Previously, this measure was mostly applied during passport renewal or when requesting consular services, but the new approach involves actively searching for defaulters and taking action against them.
The State Department said it is reviewing options for enforcing the law to prevent those who owe large sums from evading their legal obligations to their children, while no additional comments were provided regarding the specifics or timing of the move.
