Three executive branch agencies — the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Justice — have reported to Congress their plans to implement the International Megan’s Law (IML). The 17-page report also includes a request for an additional $9.3 million in funding each year to implement that law.
According to the report, the Angel Watch Center (AWC) will provide written determinations to the Department of State regarding whether an individual is a “covered sex offender”. After that determination is made, the State Department will add an individual’s name to its existing name check system, the Consular Lookout and Support System.
Also according to the report, the State Department will add a “unique identifier” to the endorsement page of a covered individual’s passport. The shape and size of the “unique identifier” has not yet been determined, however, the State Department expects to make that decision no later than December 31, 2016. In preparation for the addition of “unique identifiers”, the State Department is making “technological modifications” to its passport issuance system. After making its decisions, the State Department will send “guidance” regarding the internet identifiers to its overseas consular posts as well as to domestic passport agencies.
The Department of Homeland Security will assume additional duties as it implements the IML, including establishment of a “mechanism” to receive complaints from registrants affected by notifications to destination countries. The report states that Operation Angel Watch, the precursor to the Angel Watch Center, began in Los Angeles in 2007 and was focused upon “known child sex offenders” traveling to Southeast Asian countries. The operation moved to Washington, D.C., in 2010 and expanded its focus worldwide.
According to the report, the purpose of the IML’s Angel Watch Center is to reduce the risk of child sex tourism. The individuals being monitored by the Center are “those convicted of child sexual abuse or child pornography offenses who may travel overseas and sexually abuse or exploit minors”. The Center made more than 2,100 notifications to more than 95 countries in fiscal year 2015. More than half of these notifications resulted from input received from four states — Colorado, Florida, Texas and Washington.
The Angel Watch Center expects to increase to 5,000 annually its notifications to foreign nations in the future due to increased state notifications which are required by the IML. Due to this expected increase, the Center will request funding for four additional employees, known as Angel Watch international liaisons, to work in Mexico, the Caribbean, Manila and Bogota (to cover South America).
The National Sex Offender Targeting Center, which is part of the United States Marshalls Service, will increase its activities as well due to the IML. Part of the activities include developing initiatives with law enforcement partners to mitigate the risk of U.S. citizen sex offenders “who are living abroad undetected.”
Congressional Report August 2016
Travel stories to be reported to Congress
Registrant Travel Action Group is making a trip to DC 14-17 Nov to present the most aggrievous examples of abuse at the hands of the Angel Watch process. I am developing my agenda and I have some terrible stories to share with our esteemed legislators. However, all please share with me your stories.
Paul Rigney
rigneyp@registranttag.org
214-624-2552
Applied last week for a new passport, as mine was due to expire next April. Because of the impending changes, I paid extra for expedited processing and overnight return service. Today, I received my new passport. I could not find a conspicuous identifier anywhere in the document, which expires in October of 2026. The endorsements section of the passport is blank. All in all, it took about 9 days from the day I mailed in the application until I received my new passport book.
I applied for the card, as well—just for giggles—but have yet to receive it. They did say that only the book could be mailed by overnight mailing, so I didn’t expect to receive both in the same envelope.
As a declaration of faith (sort of), I requested and received the 51 page passport.
http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
a list of universal right, most of you already know but wanted to post this as an reminder.
I’ll keep this straight to the point to help with information on the topic of IML. 1994 plea deal to sexual battery county time(wobbler). No expungement yet. Unfortunately I’ve had 3 nonviolent felonies non sex related convictions thereafter. Yes there was a point were I just gave up and didn’t care bc of this registry. But I was wrong. There’s still hope. Ive been drug and alcohol free the last ten years and live a pretty normal stable life now employed and with beautiful family and home. I do have an internet exclusion. My pass port was going to expire next year so I took Janice advice and downloaded the forms from the state department web site, filled and mailed them out along with my old passport at the normal processing fee and rate($110) I received my new passbook today which took approximately 12 days. There is nothing at all on or in the new pass port that has an identifier of any sort, I repeat nothing. I hopes this helps. Thank you Janice!! And yes , God is good. I’ll b calling Chance soon to help me with my reduction/expungement.
This piece by Senator John Boozman just appeared in “The Mena Star” newspaper:
“We Must Combat Human Trafficking”
An excerpt:
“Congress also passed International Megan’s Law, which establishes the “Angel Watch Center.” This center is responsible for giving and receiving notifications of convicted sex offenders travelling to or from the U.S. and requires a unique passport identifier for child sex offenders. Human trafficking is a global problem, and there must be international engagement in order to combat it. That is why this Congress I introduced an amendment to improve the Human Trafficking Special Watch List.
This proposal would ensure countries continually failing to make anti-trafficking progress such as prevention, criminal laws or victim services would face certain sanctions by the U.S. I also introduced an amendment to elevate the status of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking within the State Department, which would increase its effectiveness. These are very important steps I believe our country must take in the fight against human trafficking, and I continue to work hard with my colleagues on both of these. Requiring such work on this issue from the international community means that the U.S. must lead by example.”
http://www.menastar.com/news/article_a61c36c2-9d55-11e6-9d1b-9b1353bdfef5.html
I was wondering if there has been any discussion about the ‘new and improved’ pass
wordport identifier? I recently received my renewed passwordport with the passwordport identifier on the 1st page next to my photo. I had read previously that the identifier was printed on the last page.This has several implications for me personally beyond travel as my passport is used in everyday business and medical transactions overseas.