The Trump administration has announced plans to begin revoking passports from Americans who owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support, reviving attention on a federal law that has existed for nearly three decades but has rarely been enforced to its full extent.
The move was confirmed in a statement from the US State Department, which said the policy is intended to strengthen compliance with child support obligations and protect the welfare of children.
“The State Department is using common sense tools to support American families and strengthen compliance with US laws,” the agency said. It added that passport revocations would create “real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law.”
The measure stems from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1996. The legislation introduced major reforms to welfare programmes and included a provision requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to notify the State Department of individuals with significant unpaid child support debts. Under the law, the secretary of state may deny, restrict or revoke a passport for those individuals.
While the rule has existed for years, enforcement has mainly focused on preventing people with unpaid child support from obtaining new passports or renewing expired ones. The administration’s latest announcement signals a tougher approach that could see existing passports revoked as well.
Officials have not yet disclosed how many Americans may be affected or when the policy will take effect. The State Department did not immediately provide additional details regarding enforcement procedures or whether people would receive advance notice before losing travel privileges.
Federal data suggests the issue could impact a substantial number of citizens. The State Department previously estimated that the passport restriction programme has helped collect more than $382 million in unpaid child support since it began. The agency has also said it tracks around 4.3 million individuals with outstanding child support debt, with nearly 100 passport applications denied each day because of delinquent payments.
The policy has faced legal scrutiny in the past. One of the most notable cases involved California resident Eudene Eunique, who was denied a passport in 1998 after owing more than $20,000 in child support. She challenged the decision in federal court, arguing that it violated her constitutional right to travel. In 2002, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law and ruled against her.
Congress has also moved over the years to tighten the rules. In 2005, lawmakers lowered the debt threshold triggering enforcement from $5,000 to $2,500. A later proposal introduced in 2007 sought to make passport revocations mandatory rather than optional, though it never became law.
The administration’s latest move is expected to reignite debate over how aggressively the federal government should enforce child support laws and whether restricting international travel is an appropriate penalty for unpaid debts.
