§1592 — Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

It is a crime to knowingly destroy, hide, take, or keep someone else’s passport, immigration papers, or other government ID when you do it while committing certain trafficking or forced-labor crimes (see 18 U.S.C. 1581, 1583, 1584, 1589, 1590, 1591, or 1594(a)), or if you do it intending to commit those crimes, or to stop a person from leaving so you can keep their labor when that person is or was a victim of a severe form of trafficking (see section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000). If the person who does this is or was a trafficking victim and the act happened because of that trafficking, the rule does not apply. Anyone who tries to block or interfere with enforcing this rule faces the same penalties.

Title 18, §1592

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever knowingly destroys, conceals, removes, confiscates, or possesses any actual or purported passport or other immigration document, or any other actual or purported government identification document, of another person—

(1)in the course of a violation of section 1581, 1583, 1584, 1589, 1590, 1591, or 1594(a);

(2)with intent to violate section 1581, 1583, 1584, 1589, 1590, or 1591; or

(3)to prevent or restrict or to attempt to prevent or restrict, without lawful authority, the person’s liberty to move or travel, in order to maintain the labor or services of that person, when the person is or has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000,

(b)Subsection (a) does not apply to the conduct of a person who is or has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, if that conduct is caused by, or incident to, that trafficking.

(c)Whoever obstructs, attempts to obstruct, or in any way interferes with or prevents the enforcement of this section, shall be subject to the penalties described in subsection (a).

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, referred to in subsecs. (a)(3) and (b), is classified to section 7102 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–457 added subsec. (c).

§1592 Unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking, peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, or forced labor

Summary

Title 18, §1592

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Amendments

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