If you have traveled to a foreign country after President Obama signed HR 515 / International Megan’s Law into law on February 8, 2016, please complete this survey to help gather details about the effects of this legislation. We will also share this data with the RTAG group for incorporation into their travel matrix. Thank you.
Go to International Travel Survey
Question for anyone who knows the answer: Concerning the travel form we are required to fill out for international trips, is the form the same at all police stations throughout the US, or does each police station make its own?
And, if standard, what information is required? Cities or countries or also hotels?
It’s been 24 days since I returned from Europe trip and still no revocation letter. Will be traveling for work within next month or so, so hopefully no issues with passport. So still hard to figure out what government is doing (or not doing). I did give the 21-day notice. Slipped through the cracks with this trip? Targeting only certain tiers or crimes? Who knows…
On another note, looks like government did charge someone for failing to notify in July 2018. Clearly this guy was asking for trouble… https://www.smart.gov/smartwatch/july2018/case-spotlight.html
“Clearly this guy was asking for trouble.” Well, perhaps he simply didn’t know. Ignorance of the law? Does that even matter for us? Thanks for your travel reports. I’m afraid that my career has already ended because of the travel notifications and I’m unwilling to renew my now-expired passport for one with the government’s crimson letter upon it. I just assume that my once-fabulous days of foreign travel are behind me.
David,
Per your refusing to travel with the crimson letter… I’d rethink it.
@ David K: Stop traveling? Not at all! If anything, I would take every opportunity I could to travel internationally, because as soon as I arrive at another Countries port of entry and I get harassed, refused entry,et etc, that will form the basis for the next lawsuit against IML!
@ PK: I don’t believe the two previous lawsuit’ outcomes will set a precedent for future lawsuits. The first lawsuit was dismissed because the judge felt that because IML had not yet been implemented, no parties had yet been injured. I suppose that’s a reasonable argument. As for the second lawsuit, it was very specific, regarding the failure of the State Department to follow administrative protocol that is required of them. However it was the judge’s belief that the protocol was not sidestepped or was not relevant.
GOT THE LETTER – if everyone remembers, I traveled to Europe (France, Germany, & Switzerland) in June without one issue. Didn’t even have a secondary upon return to ATLANTA.
We returned on June 18th and I received the CERTIFIED LETTER from STATE DEPARTMENT on August 6th. The letter was dated July 30th (6 weeks after my return).
Angry is not even remotely how I feel…especially given the media/government attention given to illegals…UGH!
Have any expats had thier passport revoked after visiting the USA and returning to thier current country?
I would also like to have a compiled list of countries you can travel to with the new red identifiers
I still don’t understand how are government ever did this, and how it isn’t a constitution issue?
I was released from 1 year county jail in 1987. I was able to travel freely since then until IML passed. So almost 30 years. Then they get to add this? Plus AWA that I can no longer marry / sponsor a foreign national? New restrictions keep coming. I just want to retire and move out of the USA.
I no longer feel free, or safe. Crime free for over 30 years, who cares….
He could only issue a pardon for federal charges, such as child porn. Now is he going to? Uh, no.
I went to the Houston police to fill out my travel itinerary today and was told by several people that I was way too early. They only want you to fill it out 5 days before your trip. I told them I had read that it was supposed to be done 21 days out, and they said that is when you are supposed to make an appointment with the agent. She is on vacation, so they said to call her in a week.
This stuff just drives me up the wall.
We can’t just travel to countries to see if we get in, if we can’t, they detain and send back on next flight at our expense. Also, if trying to go to Philippines, they not just send you back but put you on a black list for life, so without a lawyer you will never get in.
This is without a doubt, unusual punishment, and also cruel. SCOTUS needs to grow some balls and put a stop to it. Instead of just sitting back and watching. I heard one of them actually said people only travel to the Philippines to have sex with children. I am sure that view is the same for all of Asia.
When I was first on the registry in 1987 I was not restricted. Now every day more restrictions are added. I should at least be able to face my accusers, and defend myself. But even that no longer is allowed.
So what happens if your mom dies in her home country and you can only give 7 days notice? Does the government prohibit emergency travel?
@Ron
That is an excellent question. I have heard no discussions about any “emergency” provisions or what might constitute an emergency.
On the other side, I haven’t heard of any penalty for giving notice and then not traveling.
If my mom in a foreign country were seriously ill and could go any time, I would start sending a 21 day notice of travel every day. As long as she made it for the next 21 days, then when you did have to travel, you would just take a copy of the notice you’d sent 21 days earlier, showing you arriving on the date that you will actually travel.
Granted, this would eventually totally enrage whoever you were sending the notices to, but unless it was illegal, the worst they could do would be toss your new notice in the trash every day. But you would have your copy with delivery confirmation that you could take with you to CYA.
All of this stuff is so damn stupid, unfair, and unconstitutional, but no one cares other than us, so maybe all you can do is try to out-bureaucrat the bureaucrats.
Hi all: has anyone traveled with a marked passport yet? I’m used to making 3-4 trips per year on business. My passport was revoked after my last trip, in which I reported here that I was pulled aside in Spain after a flight from Germany (after German passport control). That could only have happened due to the notice sent ahead as they normally do not check passports after an intra-Schengen flight. It ended up not being an issue, but what if I’d had that mark in the passport?
I’m attempting to plan my travel this fall and unsure about a scheduled Europe trip. Can anyone report back on entry/exit of Schengen WITH the mark? Did the border guard see the mark or not see it? Thanks.
OK. A new question for anyone that possibly knows the answer.
Why does Homeland Security always pull us out for secondary clearance? What are they looking for when they go on their computer? I finally asked one of them and was given the ridiculous answer that they were checking to see if I had changed residence during my absence. That makes no sense.
So, are they doing it just because it is written in their procedural duties and purely for harassment or is there some actual purpose? I suppose since Angel Watch was created, they are missioned with looking for the marking on page 27, but before that was initiated – why?
One of the problems with discussions on this thread, as well as other threads in this forum is people who say “I flew to such and such country and I never gave 21 day notice” or “I’m planning a trip to the Philippines and my local office won’t take my paperwork, so I’m going anyway, or “I spent two weeks in Florida and no one said anything” or “I’m going to Las Vegas for a week, but I’m not going to tell them”, etc.
We often warn these people that this is risky behavior, or at least we ask them to let us know how things worked out. But if things DIDN’T work out, we are NOT going to hear anything, because they are in Jail or Prison somewhere!
When was the last time we saw a post saying “Don’t try what I just did because I’m now sitting here in a cell”?
@Hysteria
I need to step in quickly to say that I am finding s certain snipping cropping up in certain conversations that seem to be saying that “Presence Restrictions,” and “”Parole Restrictions,” are nothing or…minor.
Nothing could be further from the actual and real truth…Presence Restrictions were and are a far greater danger to us than the IML…we live in these cities, we navigate, we get around, we eat and rest here in the United States…We once could spend a little time out of the country, but our real time was spent here.
And the Presence Restrictions were a real and pressing and everyday danger to our very existence.
No small beans at all.
And no one else protects us or fights for us at all except for Janice and crew…honorable and great human beings each and everyone of them.
Cases against the IML that involved immense amounts of work have been filed and….lost. There is no dishonor in this…I thought the San Francisco case was particularly good, yet it did not succeed…however now, maybe some form of Tiered relief is on the way.
Progress his hard…complaining is easy.
From time to time it seems important to point this out.
Best Wishes, James
Question please. I have not received the “revoke” passport certified letter but I probably missed it not sure. Anyway, I plan on going to Europe in May 2019. My passport is set to expire 2020 but I’m worried about being stopped at the boarding gate and have my passport revoked because it has no identifier like one incident that recently happened to someone else. Could you please let me know if I can send in my current passport and renew with the identifier?
My husband who is on the registry gave the required 21 days notice sent certified mail. We traveled with our two kids. Just before boarding the plane, three marshals and four policemen with their guns out approached us putting me and my husband in handcuffs and issued a warning that we were under arrest. They took our kids away, took us two both to be charged. After 8 hours I was released and able to get my kids back each 8y and 10y. My husband was charged for not filing all the needed information(so they claim). He cannot get bail because the judge agreed he is a flight risk and that’s why he was trying to leave the country. We now have to find the money for a lawyer and have been told there have been a few similar cases where the registrants were found guilty and one was sentenced to seven years Federal incarceration. He also faces child trafficking. His own kids. We own our house, kids at school and we both have or had jobs. Why would leave?
maybe a Gundy win will wipe this out as it seems the AG is making the rules
U.S. Customs border searches of Cellphones and Electronics ….. Someone asked about U.S. Customs searching cellphines and other electronic devices. These two cases may be of interest: “Alasaad” and “Kolsuz”.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/03/aclu-sues-tsa-over-not-providing-digital-device-search-policies/
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/border-agents-need-warrant-search-travelers-phones-eff-tells-court
https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide
Just came back from an international trip and it was the first time in at least 15 years that I wasn’t pulled into secondary. The guy even asked if we usually go to secondary and I said yes. He said he had a cousin on the registry so he knew it was harsh and for life. He said since we weren’t traveling with children he didn’t see any reason to direct us to secondary and hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble with his supervisor. Nice to see some logic and discretion still exists. Satan Watch must send a really harsh notice though to the foreign country that we travel to. When we got there they searched everything like they were told I was on my way to rape children or something. After they were done I told them sorry it wasn’t as exciting as they were anticipating and they smiled, kinda laughed, and let me go.
Just came back from an international trip and it was the first time in at least 15 years since I wasn’t pulled into secondary coming back to US. Satan Watch obviously sent a really crazy notice to my destination country, but I think they realized after the search that it was some sham government agency trying to get hysterical over a 21 year old conviction.