Trump Considers Passport Restrictions for Parents with Unpaid Child Support

Parents across the United States facing substantial child support debts could soon find their international travel plans thwarted as federal authorities gear up to enforce a long-standing law with renewed vigor.

The U.S. government is preparing to broaden the application of a regulation that has been in place for over 30 years, allowing the revocation of American passports for those with unpaid child support exceeding $2,500, according to three officials familiar with the matter.

Previously, the State Department only acted on passport revocations when individuals sought to renew their travel documents or requested other consular services. This meant enforcement relied heavily on individuals initiating contact with the department.

Now, however, the department is set to take a more proactive approach, utilizing data from the Health and Human Services Department to revoke passports without prior application, as indicated by anonymous sources familiar with the plan.

Thousands of individuals could be impacted by this shift in policy.

The State Department plans to implement these changes gradually, starting with passport holders who owe more than $100,000 in overdue child support. Officials estimate that fewer than 500 individuals currently meet this threshold, but they could avoid passport revocation by entering into a payment plan with HHS after being notified.

However, if the threshold is lowered in the future, the number of affected individuals is expected to increase significantly.

While officials could not provide a timeline for further changes or an estimate of how many people might lose their passports, they emphasized the seriousness of the situation.

In response to inquiries about this impending change, the State Department stated 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.”

The department added: “It is simple: deadbeat parents need to pay their child support arrears.”

Since the inception of the Passport Denial Program following the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, nearly $621 million in past-due child support payments have been collected, including nine instances where collections exceeded $300,000, according to the Office of Child Support Enforcement at HHS.

HHS has not provided information regarding the total number of individuals currently in arrears.