United States to revoke passports for alimony debts and measure could affect Cape Verdeans in the diaspora

The US State Department has announced that it will begin revoking US passports from citizens with significant debts related to alimony arrears, in a measure that could affect thousands of people, including members of the Cape Verdean community residing in that country.

According to information published by the Associated Press (AP), the measure comes into force this Friday and, in a first phase, will be applied to citizens who have accumulated debts of more than 100,000 dollars in unpaid alimony. According to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, around 2,700 passport holders could be affected immediately.

The US authorities also announced that the program will later be expanded to cover any citizen with debts of more than 2,500 dollars, as provided for in a federal law passed in 1996, but little applied until now.

The new policy could have a direct impact on Cape Verdeans and their descendants living in the United States who rely on their US passports to travel regularly between the US and Cape Verde, whether for family visits, vacations, investments or participation in community and cultural activities.

Until now, the penalty was applied mainly during passport renewal applications. With the new directive, the Department of Health will now automatically notify the Department of State of all cases of arrears above the defined limit, allowing for the active revocation of passports already issued.

The US authorities say that the aim of the measure is to put pressure on defaulting parents to settle their financial obligations to their children.

"We are expanding a common-sense practice that has proven effective in getting custodial parents to pay their child support arrears," said Mora Namdar, the State Department's assistant secretary for consular affairs.

The US government also said that citizens affected by the revocation will immediately no longer be able to use their passports for international travel. In order to get their passport back, they will first have to prove to the state authorities that their debts have been settled.

In cases where the citizen is outside the United States at the time of the revocation, it will be necessary to go to a US embassy or consulate to obtain a temporary emergency document that will only allow them to return to the country.