Originally Posted by
Firebug4
As for your example of being in arrears on child support being used to prohibit someone from leaving the country, I don't believe under the current language of the regulation that would rise to level of national interest.
It does rise to the level of national interest (as evidenced in 1996 and 1997 and since), and passport denial is a traditional form of exit control.
We have a national policy of routinely denying US passports to US citizens who have been reported (by states to HHS and, through it, to State), as owing above a certain stipulated unpaid child support amount of $2,500 or more. There are exceptions, but the exception requests (with regard to US P type) are more frequently denied than used to be the case.
US dual-citizens have an easier time around this sort of exit control than non-dual-citizens, but the circumvention of this form of US exit control by US dual-citizens may involve inconvenience to say the least.