The US State Department will begin revoking the US passports of thousands of parents with significant child support debts, the Associated Press reports, citing information from the department.
According to the agency, the revocation of passports will begin on Friday, May 8, affecting approximately 2,700 people with debts of $100,000 or more. The program will soon be expanded to include parents whose child support obligations exceed $2,500, a threshold established in 1996. The exact number of such obligations is not yet known, but officials say the number could be significantly higher, the Associated Press reported.
Holders of revoked passports will be barred from leaving the United States and will be required to show proof of repayment in order to obtain a new passport. Those whose revocation occurs while abroad will have to apply to a U.S. embassy or consulate for a temporary travel document to return home.
Previously, the penalty applied only to passport renewals, but now the State Department will receive data from the Department of Health and Human Services on all outstanding balances over $2,500 and will cancel the holders’ documents. Assistant Secretary of State Maura Namdar called the expansion "a proven practice" and added that once the debt is paid, parents will be able to use their passports again.
The department says hundreds of parents have settled their debts since the expansion of the program was announced in February. The State Department said that was its goal, calling the program "a powerful tool" - since 1998, states have collected approximately $657 million, including more than $156 million in the past five years in the form of 24,000 one-time payments, the agency said.