"The Trump administration said it would start revoking the passports of Americans who owe more than $2,500 in child support payments, seeking to enforce a decades-old federal law. President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in 1996, a law that enacted significant changes to the federal social safety net. Among those changes was a provision that the State Department be notified of people with delinquent child support debts. It said that the secretary of state may revoke, restrict, or limit a passport issued previously to such individual."
"In a statement, the State Department said that the agency is using common sense tools to support American families and strengthen compliance with U.S. laws, adding that revoking passports supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law. It is unclear how many citizens could have their passports revoked under the policy, or when enforcement would start."
"The Clinton-era law has not been strictly enforced in the past, and enforcement has usually been focused on blocking those with child support debt from renewing or applying for a new passport. In the 1998 case of Eudene Eunique, for example, Ms. Eunique was denied a passport after the Department of Health and Human Services reported to the State Department that she owed more than $20,000 in child support payments to her ex-husband. Ms. Eunique sued in federal court, arguing that the law violated her Fifth Amendment right to travel. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately ruled against her and upheld the law in 2002."
"The State Department has estimated that the passport rule has led to the collection of more than $382 million in child support payments since its inception. The agency also reported that it was tracking 4.3 million people with outstanding child support debt, and that nearly 100"
The Trump administration said it would revoke passports of Americans with more than $2,500 in delinquent child support payments, using a decades-old federal law. The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act required the State Department to be notified of delinquent child support debts and allowed the secretary of state to revoke, restrict, or limit passports. The State Department said it uses common sense tools to support American families and strengthen compliance, stating that passport revocation creates real consequences for delinquency. Enforcement has historically been limited, often focusing on preventing renewal or new applications. A 1998 case involving Eudene Eunique resulted in a 2002 ruling upholding the law. The State Department estimated the rule has helped collect over $382 million and tracked 4.3 million people with outstanding debt.
#child-support-enforcement #passport-revocation #personal-responsibility-and-work-opportunity-act #state-department-policy #us-federal-law
Read at www.nytimes.com
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