State Department's "Think of the Children!!" Denies US Citizens Passports
 

The full article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/pa..._child_support

So what other things will new and renewal passport applicants be subject to prior to getting their passport issued/renewed? And what about US citizens abroad next year who need a new or renewed passport but are subject to passport denial?

Note the US Government spin that uses this "benefit" of expanded passport requirements to justify the passport requirements for more and more travel.

Personally, I don't think this is a bad idea. I don't agree that a person should be "stranded" abroad though. Perhaps someone in that situation would be allowed to return home on the expired passport, but can't leave again until they pay up.

Watch more American "deadbeat dads" (and moms) in this situation pay smuggling syndicates to get them out of the US or, alternatively, trying to acquire or use passports from other countries. This program collects less than $25 million dollars while growing the market for criminals and encouraging the permanent relocation/settlement of Americans abroad.

Human traffiking operations around the US-Mexico border and elsewhere will see some boom in business next year. :eek:

I don't think that this would strand an American citizen trying to re-enter, but it certainly might not let them leave.

If it is/was an honest mistake on the part of the accused, I might have some sympathy for them. If it is a case of someone trying to avoid their legal duties, then I'm glad this system is in place.

Human trafficking, while tragic, is an unfortunate fact of life, and these people who engage in it will face the same uncertainties and possible prosecution if caught.

They won't be driving in California, either (or at least shouldn't be driving). We've been suspending drivers licenses since 1996 for failure to pay child support. As it seems like half the state is driving with suspended licenses though, I'm not sure if it really has any impact here.

What exactly is wrong with making people take care of their legal obligations? What about the children whose fathers (mostly) have abandoned them? We're supposed to pity the poor "businessman" who fled the country to evade his obligations and is now whining, only when they finally found something he cares about (i.e., not his child)?

I say stick it to them. If they want their passports, they know exactly what they have to do.

So we're effectively becoming a jail?

The problem is that one thing has nothing to do with the other -- and you have due-process issues. You may have no problem with denying passports to people with child-support shortfall records (which may or may not be accurate). OK, what about driver's licenses? Should they be suspended, too? Where do you stop? What if the government forbade people under these circumstances from registering real-estate transactions (making it impossible to buy or sell property)? How about marriage licenses? Should people with child-support problems be forbidden from marrying? The list goes on and on.

Bruce

The State of Illinois can yank my professional license for failure to pay child support, income taxes or student loans. I don't have a problem with that or withholding passports from deadbeat parents.

I mean, it's not like they can take away their ability to have more children until they've paid for the ones they already have.:D

And what do some of those people do in California when they are denied licenses or have them suspended? Go to another state to get a driver's license or simply drive without a license? And then when they get pulled over in California, they get hit with fines or worse .... with their ability to pay the child support or the fine worsening? I would be shocked if there wasn't also some additional document fraud -- including that which criminal organizations and undocumented aliens use -- going on as a result of that restriction too. Great intentions don't always mean great results.

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

A debtors' prison-wannabe?

Yes. Do whatever it takes to make people pay what they owe. I am not a big fan of letting people get away with shirking responsibility easily. This seems like an easy way to catch people who might otherwise not own up to their debts. I cannot believe that there are people upset that there is a mechanism for making worthless scum support their children.

Certainly we are not the United Taliban States of America, so a marriage license is not required for having children. Do we really want the government to be able to forcefully sterilize people or mandate an abortion in absence of having a child-bearing license from the government?

Why should the federal government deny passports just for child support payments due? Why not credit card and other legal obligations due as well? And parking tickets too before getting a passport?

Given the competency -- actually lack thereof -- with government aviation blacklists, why expect any better from whatever subsidiary lists the government uses to compile a blacklist of citizens not entitled to a passport?

For criminals who try to evade their legal obligations...yeah. No problem whatsoever.