- US federal authorities are preparing to significantly ramp up enforcement of a decades-old law allowing the revocation of passports for parents owing substantial child support.
- The State Department will now proactively revoke American passports based on data shared by the Health and Human Services Department, rather than waiting for individuals to apply for renewal or other consular services.
- The initial phase of this intensified enforcement will target passport holders who owe more than $100,000 in past-due child support, affecting fewer than 500 individuals.
- Officials indicate that the threshold for unpaid child support could be lowered in the future, which would significantly increase the number of people affected by passport revocations.
- Since its inception in 1996, the Passport Denial Program has collected nearly $621 million in overdue child support payments.
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