The United States of America has said it will increase efforts to revoke the passports of parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support.
According to a statement, the US Department of State stated that the plan is being done t by the Donald Trump administration in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The department said the action is intended to ensure that parents who fail to meet their financial responsibilities to their children face “real consequences”.
“U.S. law requires Americans to comply with child support obligations in order to receive a U.S. passport and allows the Department of State to revoke the passport of an individual who owes more than $2,500 in child support,” the statement reads.
The state department said it is now working with HHS “on an unprecedented scale” to identify and penalise individuals with significant outstanding child support debt.
According to the statement, affected individuals risk losing the ability to use their passports for international travel once revocation takes effect.
The agency warned parents with unpaid child support obligations to settle their debts immediately to avoid sanctions.
“Once a passport is revoked, it may no longer be used for travel,” the department said.
“Any American with significant child support debt should arrange payment to the relevant state or states now to prevent passport revocation.”
The department explained that passport eligibility would only be restored after outstanding debts are cleared with the relevant state child support enforcement agency and the individual is no longer listed as delinquent in HHS records.
“The State Department is putting American families first through our passport process,” the statement reads.
