State Department Will Revoke Passports of Parents Who Owe Child Support
nytimes.com • • nation
Key Points:
- The Trump administration announced it will begin revoking passports of Americans who owe more than $2,500 in child support, enforcing a federal law from 1996 signed by President Clinton.
- The law allows the State Department to revoke, restrict, or limit passports of individuals with delinquent child support payments to support compliance and the welfare of American children.
- Historically, enforcement focused on blocking passport renewals or new applications rather than revoking existing passports, and the policy's strict enforcement timeline and scope remain unclear.
- The passport rule has helped collect over $382 million in child support, with approximately 4.3 million individuals tracked for outstanding debts and about 100 passport applications denied daily due to child support issues.
- Legislative efforts have aimed to strengthen enforcement, including lowering the debt threshold from $5,000 to $2,500 in 2005 and proposals to make passport revocation mandatory, though some measures have not passed.
