The US State Department claims it is removing passports for Americans who owe large sums of child support.
A little-known federal law from 1996 allows passport revocations over unpaid child support greater than $2,500.
Previously the penalty was only levied when those with such debt tried to renew their passports, writes the Guardian.
But in a statement yesterday, the department said it would work with the department of health and human services to cancel the passports of Americans who had accumulated “significant” overdue child support debt.
To get a U.S. passport, you must pay all your back child support. “If you owe more than $2,500, federal regulations prevent us from issuing you a U.S. passport, and we may revoke your valid U.S. passport,” the agency added.
If child support debt has been paid, a revoked passport may not be used for travel.
The statement added citizens can only receive a new U.S. passport once they have paid their debt to the state child support enforcement agency they owe.
Americans affected abroad would be eligible only for a limited-validity passport for direct return to the U.S. until HHS certifies repayment of the debt, the statement noted.
The state department stated last month that the move aimed to support the wellbeing of American children by “exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law”.
The administration said the policy will also help prevent those who owe large sums of court-ordered child support from shirking their legal and moral responsibilities to their children.
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