international family law
The National Targeting Center (NTC) is part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It helps find parents and children who are about to leave the country against a U.S. court order—but only if the process is started correctly.
If a parent has a valid U.S. court order that stops the other parent (or someone else) from taking a child out of the country, they can contact the Abduction Prevention Unit in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues.
This office can add both the child and the person trying to take the child to a special list to stop them from leaving the U.S. They will need:
Then, the office will work with CBP to add these names to their system.
The NTC checks traveler data to find people who may be trying to take a child abroad. CBP uses a system called Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) to get data from airlines about passengers flying in and out of the U.S.
If the child or possible abductor is on the alert list, the NTC can:
Lawyers helping parents in these situations should:
Once the order is ready, lawyers should send it to the U.S. State Department along with other important info, so the child and abductor can be added to the alert list right away.
It’s important to remember: being on the alert list is helpful, but it’s not enough by itself. The U.S. doesn’t have strict exit controls, and someone could take a child out of the country in other ways, not just by airplane.
Moshier Law
Protecting families from international child abduction.
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