The United States says it will intensify efforts to revoke the passports of parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support.
In a statement on Thursday, the US Department of State said
the move is being carried out by the Donald Trump administration in
coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The department said the action is intended to ensure that
parents who fail to meet their financial responsibilities to their children
face “real consequences”.
“U.S. law requires Americans to comply with child support
obligations in order to receive a U.S. passport and allows the Department of
State to revoke the passport of an individual who owes more than $2,500 in
child support,” the statement reads.
The state department said it is now working with HHS “on an
unprecedented scale” to identify and penalise individuals with significant
outstanding child support debt.
According to the statement, affected individuals risk losing
the ability to use their passports for international travel once revocation
takes effect.
The agency warned parents with unpaid child support
obligations to settle their debts immediately to avoid sanctions.
“Once a passport is revoked, it may no longer be used for
travel,” the department said.
“Any American with significant child support debt should
arrange payment to the relevant state or states now to prevent passport
revocation.”
The department explained that passport eligibility would
only be restored after outstanding debts are cleared with the relevant state
child support enforcement agency and the individual is no longer listed as
delinquent in HHS records.
“The State Department is putting American families first
through our passport process,” the statement reads.
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