Joe Mattingly

I tried to renew my passport and got a letter back from State Dept informing me I couldn't get a new passport because of an outstanding parole violation warrant from 1993. I've traveled extensively in the US since 1993 and never had any issues; however, I have an upcoming domestic flight and now I'm concerned that the passport denial might trigger some alert at the TSA ticket check-in (when you present your boarding pass and DL) - any information much appreciated (please avoid reminding me to take care of the warrant - I'm in the process of doing that but it's pretty complicated since it involves a state-to-state transfer) - thanks

beachbunny143

JOE! I am in this same predicament and am curious how it went when/if you tried to fly? I was just denied a passport and informed of a warrant that I am now working to take care of, but I am not sure if it'll be done by the time I fly. I've flown fine up until now but am curious if the passport denial triggers something. Please let me know how this went for you!! Even my attorney doesn't know how it'll go and you're the only person I've found who is in the SAME predicament! Thank you thank you thank you!!

squeakr

If anyone has info feel free to post.

squeakr

co Moderator TS/S

copwriter

I don't have any special insight into the vetting process for passports, but I do know something about the way felony warrants work.

For any law enforcement (and most other) agency to even know about an arrest warrant, the agency holding the warrant has to enter it onto the FBI's National Criminal Information Center (NCIC). Every cop shop in the U.S. and Canada has access to this.

Not all felony warrants will be posted to NCIC. If the agency with the warrant is unwilling to extradite from another state, they may limit the posting to their statewide or regional system. When a warrant is posted to NCIC, the agency holding the warrant often restricts what states they will extradite from, e.g. Western states, states contiguous to the one where the warrant resides, etc. If you're stopped in a state where the extradition doesn't extend, you won't be arrested on the warrant.

It appears that the U.S. Dept. of State queries NCIC when a passport application or renewal comes up, and will freeze the application until the warrant is cleared. This is without regard for extradition conditions.

Also note that extradition is not limited to felonies. Technically, you can be extradited on any warrant, even a misdemeanor, if the jurisdiction holding the warrant is willing to come fetch you back. I know of some courts in Nevada that will go into adjacent states to retrieve people wanted on misdemeanor DUI or domestic violence warrants.The extradition is done by car, the ride back is with the prisoner in the back of a cage car, wearing leg shackles and handcuffs attached to a belly chain. That makes even the smallest airline coach seat look luxurious.

Domestic travel will usually not be affected. The TSA doesn't query NCIC at the security checkpoint level (it might be different for their bona fide law enforcement people, such as Federal Air Marshals). However, if the TSA finds some reason to stop you and call an airport police officer, any wants check he or she runs on you will probably reveal the existence of the warrant, even if it's not extraditable from where you are. If they decide to let you board the plane, and you're traveling to someplace covered under the extradition umbrella, you might have a police reception waiting for you when you arrive.

Arrest warrants are court orders to any peace officer to arrest the person named in the warrant and bring them before the judge forthwith. An officer with knowledge of the warrant who doesn't at least try to serve the warrant could be held in contempt of court.

I'm assuming you know how to satisfy whatever the court(s) that issued your warrant(s), and what you have to do to clear them. If not, you probably need to contact an attorney who works in or near the court where the warrant was issued. They can often make arrangements for you to appear, be booked, and be released on bail or your own recognizance without having to spend time in jail. Each situation is unique, so make sure you know what the ground rules are going to be before you venture back there.

squeakr

Much appreciated!

yandosan

The extradition is done by car, the ride back is with the prisoner in the back of a cage car, wearing leg shackles and handcuffs attached to a belly chain.

Yeah, I can vouch for this. I just had a DUI probation violation but you
would have thought it was something like armed robbery.
You do not want to go through this.

GUWonder

For domestic travel, it's most frequently not resulting in travel disruption.

For international travel it's more frequently an issue, with a window into this being viewable here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...-officers.html

The US passport denial (or even perhaps revocation) is more fundamentally the product of a trigger than a trigger itself.

Mintyyfreshhh

i currently have a dui probation violation, bc I haven't done any of the community service or paid the fees (I was a stay at home single mother at the time.) I plan on flying domestically, will I be taken in at the airport? Also what did you do to begin to fix your situation? I have no idea where to even begin...thanks for any advice you have.

were you able to fly?

TWA884

You may also want to take a look at the following threads:

Boggie Dog

INAL but think finding one might be a good move towards getting your situation resolved.

yandosan

Since you asked, I had left the country to do research. My PO said I could finish up
the last month or so of probation from there (and my lawyer said they're not supposed to tell you where you can work/live) but the PO's boss made a big fuss and issued the
warrant. I flew back to FLA (where the warrant was) and I was innocently walking down the street when a cop and his buddies started hassling me about an unsolved homicide. I found out later this particular crime was being used to shake down many people by unscrupulous cops in Palm Beach County...
I showed him my ID (I shouldn't have because it was a pre-textual (unlawful) stop but I caved). They kept me in Palm Beach County jail about 14 days and then extradited me (in a van with some hardened criminals) to the county that had issued the warrant, where I spent about 20 more days locked up. The new lawyer kept changing his story on how many days they could keep me there (it went from 5 to 15 to 30 to 90 days) and the vibe finally started to change when my ticked off family got on the phone in California and started calling some journalists/city council people to spread the word. The lawyer I hired in Palm Beach was a crook and is now disbarred for charging outrageous fees and not doing anything, as he did to me. When I finally did find a lawyer with a soul he told me it was one of the craziest situations he ever saw. I think they would have kept me in there a lot longer but I was a Federal Employee at the time and my boss later told me they had gov't bigwigs demanding answers about how why they kept me down there in FLA so long...welcome to the Prison Industrial Complex.

TSORon

TSA is not a law enforcement agency and has no authority to deny you access to commercial aviation. Some of your property, yes, but unless you are on the "No Fly" list you should be able to travel unimpeded.

That being said, many actual law enforcement agencies DO have access to airline flight reservations records. I have seen people met at the TSA document check stations by law enforcement and arrested for some crime or another. Didnt ask, didnt want to know. Good luck!

Section 107

Some recent experiences with flying with wants and warrants:

Police Arrest Man In Dulles Wanted For Boston Bank Robberies.
The WRC-TV Washington (3/26, 453K) website reports that a man wanted in connection to 16 bank robberies in the Boston area was arrested at Dulles International Airport on Saturday. The man, Albert Taderera, was trying to leave the country and go to Johannesburg, South Africa. The Boston Globe (3/25, Geanous, 1.08M) reports that Tadera was arrested before he could board the flight.
Television coverage was provided by WUSA-TV Washington (3/26, 11:44 p.m. EDT, 116K).


Three Men Wanted For Separate Crimes Arrested At Dulles.
The Loudoun (VA) Tribune (3/28) reports that three men wanted for separate crimes were arrested by CBP officers at Dulles International Airport on March 24 and 25. In all three arrests, the fugitives were turned over to the MWAA Police. CBP Port of Washington Dulles Director Wayne Biondi said, “These warrant arrests illustrate how Customs and Border Protection collaborates with our law enforcement partners to return fugitives to justice, protect victims’ rights, and to help keep our communities safe.”

catocony

None of these cases involve a TSA screener. In fact, Taderera was arrested in the terminal at Dulles where he was making a connecting flight. He made it through TSA at Logan with no issues. Moral of this story? Take a non-stop flight out of the country if you know you're the target of a police manhunt.

GUWonder

Passenger manifests for departing flights are checked and used by CBP to stop some departing persons with felony warrants. Does CBP get them all? No. Does CBP get some when it comes to even non-stop flights? Yes. Is it easier to get out of the country, despite having a felony warrant, when having booked and checked-in for a non-stop international flight within 2.5 hours or less of departure from the US? Yes. It is guaranteed to work? No. Do the TSA screeners have much of anything to do with this for passengers with felony warrants? Not so commonly.