...
By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The U.S. State Department is looking to step up its enforcement of a 30-year-old law that allows it to revoke passports of American parents who owe a significant amount in child support.
Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity with the Associated Press (AP) said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was set to begin sharing data with the State Department, which would allow it to revoke parents' permission to travel internationally.
At first, those owing more than $100,000 would see their passports pulled, but that could later expand to those owing less.
Read More on U.S.
"The proposal to revoke passports due to child support arrearages could be incredibly harmful to low-income parents and families," Daniel Hatcher, a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, told Newsweek.
"For many low-income parents, the child support obligations begin several thousands of dollars in arrearages from day one, because the obligations are made retroactive to the date of the initial petition for child support - which is often several months before the court order. And their driver's licenses are immediately suspended, often blocking their ability to work."
Newsweek reached out to the Department of State via contact form and HHS via email for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
Why It Matters
The reported plan to increase data sharing between federal government departments would continue a trend under the Trump administration to allow officials to access sensitive data on both U.S. citizens and immigrants as part of different enforcement measures. Privacy organizations have raised concerns about the security around such operations, including the Department of Homeland Security gaining access to IRS data, and the Department of Government Efficiency's staffers placed at various other agencies.
...
What To Know
Passport revocations and denials have been allowed over unpaid child support starting at $2,500 since 1996, but the tool has rarely been used, the AP reported. Enforcement was generally only enacted when a parent approached a U.S. consulate or embassy for support.
Under a new proposal, the State Department would revoke passports based on the data it receives from HHS. It was not immediately clear how many parents could be impacted, with those owing more than $100,000 likely a small figure. But if the threshold is lowered, the officials who spoke to the AP said, the number could spike into the thousands.
One option to avoid losing their passport could be for parents to enter a payment plan with HHS.
Hatcher told Newsweek that around 70 percent of national child support debt is owed by parents with an annual income of $10,000 or less, and that in many cases the sum owed is taken by the government rather than making its way to the children in question.
Since the Passport Denial Program began 30 years ago, the initiative has taken in nearly $621 million in past-due child support payments, with nine collections of more than $300,000, according to the Office of Child Support Enforcement at HHS.
What People Are Saying
Hatcher, also to Newsweek: "For low-income and low-wage working parents, the loss of their passports would not lead to more child support payments, but would stop their ability to potentially see their families who live in other countries - and could also block their ability to work for those who need passports for work related travel or possible overseas work. And for struggling parents whose children have been in foster care, the passport revocations could harm both the mother and the fathers - because both parents are pursued for government owed child support."
A State Department spokesperson told the AP that it "is reviewing options to enforce long-standing law to prevent those owing substantial amounts of child support from neglecting their legal and moral obligations to their children," adding, "It is simple: deadbeat parents need to pay their child support arrears.”
What Happens Next
The proposed expansion of the program has yet to be published in the Federal Register, which is the method by which the government officially announces new or revised policies. Once announced, there would likely be a time for public comment.
This article includes reporting by the AP.
Update 2/10/26, 4:33 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines