Passport ID and Sex Offender International Travel
Dear Members and Advocates,
A disturbing thing happened to one of our members this week which anyone who travels internationally should be aware of. This member notified his local Sheriff’s office of planned travel to the Caribbean. Just before the plane started boarding, he was called to the gate attendant where he was met with three US Marshals who told him he would not be travelling that day and confiscated his passport because it didn’t have the “identifier” on it.
While we, in conjunction with another advocacy organization, are exploring the possibility of legal action and other recourse that may be taken to prevent this from happening to other persons required to register, this event should serve as a cautionary warning of what could potentially happen. If you can be considered a “covered sex offender” and are holding a US Passport with plans to travel internationally, you should be aware that your passport can be revoked at any time and without warning. Your travel plans can be ruined and you can potentially be met at the plane by law enforcement for a humiliating encounter.
Since this new practice came as a surprise to all of us, we are giving out the contact information for the Office of Legal Affairs at Passport Services for more information and to check on the status of your individual passport (PassportRules@state.gov). We ask that any general information obtained (written only, please) through this process or through any other government department, be shared with us so that we can update membership accordingly.
The unfortunate event also served as a reminder of the importance of staying informed of the laws and regulations governing persons required to register. Whether you use FAC as your resource, or you get your information from another advocacy group, the news or elsewhere, the importance of exchanging information among ourselves is critical to avoid unknowingly falling into one of the many traps set up to put registrants back into prison for unknowingly violating a law.
Sincerely,
Florida Action Committee, Inc.
SOME HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK
FAC Letter to Gov. Rick Scott Regarding DADS Program
Next week, the State of Florida is encouraging Dads to become involved in their children’s education, by promoting a “take your Dad to work day” A proclamation from Governor Scott touts all the benefits of having ones father or father figure involved in their…
Arkansas also keeps people NOT in their communities on the sex offender registry
According to this article, Arkansas also has something “funny” with it’s sex offender registry, We have long been reporting that Florida claims to have over 73,000 people on its sex offender registry, but fewer than half are in the community. MOST, in fact, are not in…
FAC Letter to ICE/DHS Regarding Passports
The below is a cut and paste (and redacted) version of a letter sent by the Florida Action Committee in response to one of our members’ passport being taken from him at the airport by 3 US Marshals as he tried to board an international flight. We are extremely…
FAC Response to Nextdoor.com’s Reply
The below link is FAC’s response to Nextdoor.com, Inc.’s reply to our letter from April. In the event we are unable to obtain a satisfactory resolution for the individuals who happen to share households with people required to register. It is our intent to bring a…