U.S. to expand passport revocation for parents who owe child support

Parents who owe a significant amount of child support could soon lose their ability to travel internationally as the Trump administration expands and intensifies enforcement of a 30-year-old law that allows the federal government to revoke U.S. passports until payments are made, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

While the 1996 federal legislation allowed for the revocation of passports for failure to pay child support exceeding $2,500, previously the State Department only acted when someone requested the renewal of their travel document or resorted to other consular services. In other words, enforcement depended on the person requesting assistance from the department.

However, starting soon, the department will begin revoking passports on its own initiative based on data shared with it by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the change has not yet been publicly announced.

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The number of people who could be affected was not immediately clear, but it is believed to be in the thousands. Due to the large potential number of people who owe child support and currently possess passports, the State Department will make the change in levels, officials reported.