President Obama signed HR 515 into law on February 8. The law will require federal agencies to notify destination countries that registered citizens are coming to visit as well as to require the Secretary of State to add a “unique identifier” to the passports of some registered citizens.
“The President’s decision, if unchallenged, would require the Secretary of State to add a Scarlet Letter to the passports of hundreds of thousands of American citizens,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “Therefore a lawsuit has been prepared and will be filed on February 9 challenging the International Megan’s Law.”
The lawsuit will be filed in U.S. District Court, San Francisco, on behalf of four registered citizens. The lawsuit alleges that International Megan’s Law violates several provisions in the U.S. Constitution including the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment, as well as the equal protection and ex facto clauses. Subsequent to filing of the lawsuit, an application for a Preliminary Injunction will be filed which, if granted, would stop the law from being implemented.
Related
Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 515, H.R. 4188, S. 2152 – The White House
I think that we need to press hard and target the registry in Federal Court. Reading the opinions I think that the passing of the years has produced more information that the law is punitive and part of the grounds on which it was deemed non punitive have clearly been shown as false. There were numerous statements about the very high recidivism rate which we know is not true. Also the registry has led to a continuous loss of freedoms as evidenced by the provisions of SORNA, (the 21 day notification time frame before going from one state to the other is ridiculous as well as the little known clause that if you are a sex offender, you can not sponsor a visa for someone from another country.) All of the safe zones are without statistical merit. I say that we start a fund and all of us donate on a monthly basis and target the various registry laws post haste.
Like everyone else I knew this was going to happen. I’m thankful that we have Janice fighting for us. I hope there will be a string of lawsuits because this doesn’t just effect registrants in California.
With that said, there are enough beautiful places in the U.S. that I will be visiting. I don’t need to leave this country. If they want this registrant to stay within these borders I will see them poolside at the hotel. I will see them at the beach. I will see them at all the different tourist destinations. I will see them at the national parks. I don’t mind sharing everything that U.S. has to offer. The only thing I will not share with other U.S. citizens is patriotism.
Wow, we’ve all been to prison and paid our debt to society, then we have to register as second, no last class citizens. Some having to place a sign in our front yards on days like Halloween to say stay away, we might bite. Oh, let’s not forget having our faces and ADDRESSES plastered all over the internet placing ourselves and even worse our families in danger. NOW we are supposed to have the government place a BIG FAT letter on our passports effectively fencing us inside the boundaries of the USA because now nobody will let us in to the country. Most likely we will be totally embarrassed before we can get off the plane and sent back home. Let’s not forget that our families will be humiliated right along with us as we are forced to continue to bow our heads in shame. No wonder why there are so many divorces among us. I lost my marriage, and my friendships because of the past and continue to suffer for it.
IML will greatly affect me. I have a wife and children in another country. If this law stands i will never be able to see my family again. I have e mailed my Congressman with that question since he voted for IML. No answer back from that low life leech. But in one of his responses to me he stated that human and sex trafficking was the largest money maker for world wide organized crime. So I asked him how does a sex offender fit in this? As usual no answer back
Perhaps we could go to the US Airport with the most international flights and walk around with big signs i’m a sex offender. – see how fast it gets news and tourist $$$ slows down. or like we all flood orlando airport with signs, see how many will come back to Florida or Disney. Follow the $$ to these BS laws; Dampen the $$$ flow and make international news and watch them start to take notice if the tourist $$$ can be dampened enough
It is on TONIGHTS News CBS Channel 2 LA at 6PM
The time has arrived to focus on legal and political action. No punches pulled. I have watched over the last 20 years as more and more senseless, ineffective, and politically motivated acts, ordinances, and laws have been enacted virtually uncontested. Why? I have spent years and much blood, sweat, and tears to rebuild and reach a sense of acceptance and peace only to be confounded by the continual barrage of obstacles to that process that mindless politicians create. No basis, no facts, no debate, just pure legislative garbage. The passage of HR515 was particularly cowardly with the suspension of the rules. I have held a valid passport for years and have only used it once. It is my right as a human being on planet earth to travel and see the world as I see fit. After all these years I am supposed to have my travel destination receive a libelous and defamatory statement that is a complete and uncorroborated lie as to my purpose for traveling. It is a violation of human, civil, and constitutional rights. Direct, forceful, and unrelenting legal action must be taken NOW!!!!!!!
I know everyone has a weekly budget we all must adhere to but nothing is more important than getting our freedom back. Please please for all of us , donate to this cause. $1 a day , $5 a week. Whatever you can afford. What is more important to us out Starbucks coffee or our liberties. I know I sound like a broken record but we finally have a voice thanks to Janice and team. Let’s back them up.
Janice’s lawsuit made the SF Bay Area’s KPIX TV news!
Just pay pal my $100. I hope this helps
Thank you Janice. It’s times like these when I and the rest of my family are glad to have people like you fighting this.
A 15-second spot about the filing of the suit appeared on NPR news this evening. Perhaps the media silence will break now. I hope the suit challenges a lot more than the “unique identifier”. To me the detailed travel reporting requirements supported by a huge penalty for failure to follow it exactly is a huge danger for registrant travel – are they going to pop you in prison for 10 years if you miss a flight? Can you rely on prosecutorial discretion to work in your favor if this happens?
There is one thing that need to be brought to the top. Government, at all level, can NOT be TRUSTED with the registry. They have abused it to the point that the government themselves are criminals. This registry and all registries need to be taken out the government hands. US do not have the responsible individuals leading our government, anymore. They are immature school yard bullies and brats.
Thank you for all the info.. I am already a member of RSOL, (just recently became one). I live in Texas. My offense happened 22 years ago and already paid my dues to society. Got off probation in 2008, I won custody of my 2 kids last year and have a 6 figure job. I have completely turned my life around, but I’m sick and tired of the scarlet letter and constant harassment I get from people that know me in my city. I have no restrictions as I have already completed my terms of community supervision, which was a deferred adjudicated 10 year probation sentence. However, its a double edged sword as I have to register until the day I die.
This last December, 2015, an individual I don’t even know, grabbed the TX DPS sex offender registry link and blasted me on Facebook because I have a Twitter account to follow celebs and musicians, and her daughter which is 17, started following me. Her mother found out and put me to shame. Her defamatory post on FB rec’d 616 shares. Even my boss and some of my customers saw the post and deemed it inappropriate and slanderous! I felt that it was enough as this has hurt me, my kids, my parents, just my family in general.
I’m in the process of filing a lawsuit. We are deposing the lady that libeled me and intentionally inflicted me with shame, and mental anguish. I think its imperative that we continue to unite and challenge these laws and start filing lawsuits against the people that slander & defame us by using the public registry in a harmful way. The public registry is for informational purposes only, and many people use it as a weapon against RSO’s..
This HR 515 bill struck me because this Fall my company is giving a trip oversees and I’m in the process of getting a passport. I have a appointment on the 25th of this month to get it. I don’t believe that I should be fearful of winning that trip now because I maybe denied entry into that country. This is so wrong on many levels and I will rally my friends and family and file a lawsuit in federal court here if I have to. I’m sick and tired of living in shame and this has gone too far. Let’s all stand up and fight back, even if it costs us money, so who cares, at least we are making a stand for our rights and protecting our family.
All in favor of stigmatizing lower class citizens, say it with me:
SIEG HEIL! SIEG HEIL! SIEG HEIL!
Hi, I’m an RSO! For years now I’ve been in hiding afraid to speak out, too embarrassed to ruffle any feathers. I guess that’s how I’ve always been. Prior to this I was an upstanding, considerate, optimistic firearm bearing citizen. One mistake and that is all behind me. I’m a survivor, I always have been, thriving is another story. Now the doorbell makes my heart skip a beat in fear. Afraid, my parole officer is outside but not because I’m doing anything wrong but because my neighbors will wonder: who is this man, a detective, FBI, parole officer? What is he doing at my neighbors door. Funny, I haven’t felt afraid of the doorbell since I was a little kid and my mom would warn me wait till your dad gets home! Although it wasn’t really the doorbell more his keys unlocking the door but somehow I think back to that. How I wish it was that. How long can I hide and pretend? Lucky for me I’ve lived in this neighborhood a long time and most my neighbors wouldn’t even believe I’d be in this heap of mess. I digress. My point is I’ve had enough! I’m tired of hiding I’m tired of accepting this and I’m tired of convincing myself it’s just the law. I’ve found a few forums like this but this is by far my favorite as its seemingly very well organized. Although I’m in NJ I still like this forum best. Remember there are close to or over a million of us and counting THE ONLY WAY WE CAN OVERCOME THIS IS WITH UNITY. NO ONE WILL SPEAK OUT FOR US, NO COUNCILMAN, CONGRESSMAN, SENATOR, MAYOR, GOVERNOR AND DEFINITELY NO PRESIDENT REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT. ITS JUST US AND OUR FAMILIES AND MAYBE A FEW FRIENDS. Guys, forget about politics and parties this is too easy of an issue to stand up against when your on the other side. We need to band together and bring suit after suit after suit till we swing this our way. Damn near a million of us, I’m sure amongst us there are web developers to build sites and market our cause online, I’m sure we have psychologists and doctors to do case studies, historians and constitutional teachers and lawyers to dissect the constitution and make a clear and convincing case of these unconstitutional draconian practices, script writers drama students and actors to make documentaries to explain our plight. If you think we don’t have these people in our pool of a million, think again! At the very least we can all muster out an average of $100 between about a million of us: 1,000,000x$100= one hundred million dollars or a tenth of a billion dollars. How much lobbying power can that buy us how many lawyers can that get Janice to sling shot our cause? All I know is until we have our own registered people’s list from the entire country we will get nowhere. Jews, African Americans, LGBT’s all of these people had to fight against popular belief and they still do. We have to fight too, only way we have a shot. Or hunker down and be ready for more !!!! To come our way!!!!
(Written by V as dictated by my bf due to his internet ban)
Jason wrote “This of course assumes no justices die or retire. With the age and health of some members, there’s a good chance the court may look different in a couple years. This would be bad for us, as the GOP majority in the Senate will surely block any more progressive appointees regardless of who the President is. If a conservative justice replaces one of the 4 left wing justices or Kennedy, we have no chance.”
But Bernie said in the last debate that he draws big support from those who didn’t vote much in the past. Democrats, and especially Bernie who has a huge youth vote sector, would do well with more citizens voting. Republicans do well when less people voting and that’s why Republicans work to suppress the vote. If Bernie wins, it will be because of a large turnout that votes Democrat. With that, Congressional Democratic candidates who run at the same time as the Presidential election will do well with increased Democratic voter turnout and the Congress may go back to the Democrats. Then, with Bernie as President, we can possibly get some good SCOTUS justices as the Congress might be Democratic majority.
Ok they filed suit in the United States District Court in San Francisco challenging the “Unique Identifier” provision of the recently adopted “International Megan’s Law” (HR-515). and then there is INTERPOL Green Notices which I know is a different matter but the same results, keeping us out of most countries, so my question is if they take the “Unique Identifier” off how is that really going to help us travel? I understand the reason for the suit but when I look at the bigger picture we are still stuck on a registry that hands out nothing but more punishment every year.
I have paid my debt. I was a victim of coercion and entrapment. There was no victim at all. I am first and foremost a human being. I am a kind and decent human being. I am a man. I am an American citizen. I am a hardworking business and home owner. I am a taxpayer. I am licensed, bonded, and insured. I am trusted, professional, and educated. Yet, for some reason, if I want to travel to a foreign country, notifications and documents from the American government precede me making false statements and malicious assumptions as to the intent of my visit. It’s ironic isn’t it? No, it’s moronic and unjustified and will be challenged!
thank you for the info on Costa Rica travel.cross that vacation off my list.
Any info on the UK, Spain,Germany, France, Italy?
thank you again
Welcome to 1938 Germany! This country is now officially a police state. Heil Obama and the rest of them. But like Germany, this “Dynasty of a thousand years” will go the way of Rome, Germany, and the Soviet Union. The rest of the world is tired of it. America, England, and Australia is the real axis of evil.
Amazing reading. It’s odd how “Jason” called it, on a SCJustice passing away. Scalia.
Been doing my research as the “Punishment” continues after 25 years of updated
and new punishment. In the state of NV. They make you re-up your drivers license every year. So anyone who looks at your drivers license can easily see your a registered SO. I simply want my civil rights returned to me. I’d love to have the right to have a firearm to protect myself and my family. Then just leave me alone.
Contrary to popular belief, as a group, sex offenders have the lowest rate of recidivism of all the crime categories. These statistics completely fly in the face of conventional wisdom about sex offenders being the most likely group of criminals to re-offend for their initial crime, but these are the facts.
My family wants me to join them on a 10 day trip to Italy. I am a resident of California
Does anybody have any info on traveling to Italy post passage of International Meghan’s law?