Tillis and Feinstein Urge AG Garland to Prioritize Prosecution of International Paternal Child Abduction Cases

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) sent a bipartisan letter to the Department of Justice requesting Attorney General Merrick Garland help in addressing international parental child abduction.

"Since 2008, thousands of children have been kidnapped by a parent and taken to a foreign country," wrote the Senators. "Fewer than half of those children are returned to their custodial parents. This criminal activity is devastating to left-behind parents."

The Senators continued, "As part of your confirmation process, you acknowledged that international parental child abduction "is a deeply concerning issue." We appreciate your willingness to "strengthen the efforts the Department has undertaken to work with left-behind parents and advocacy organizations to return every child kidnapped abroad" and your commitment to "prioritize assessing the Department's current structure and capacity" to ensure all tools available to the Department are put to their best use."

Read the full letter here and below.

Dear Attorney General Garland:

We write to you to request your assistance in addressing the pressing matter of international parental child abduction. Since 2008, thousands of children have been kidnapped by a parent and taken to a foreign country. Fewer than half of those children are returned to their custodial parents. This criminal activity is devastating to left-behind parents.

As part of your confirmation process, you acknowledged that international parental child abduction "is a deeply concerning issue." We appreciate your willingness to "strengthen the efforts the Department has undertaken to work with left-behind parents and advocacy organizations to return every child kidnapped abroad" and your commitment to "prioritize assessing the Department's current structure and capacity" to ensure all tools available to the Department are put to their best use. To better inform our understanding of the Department's efforts in that regard, we ask that you respond to the following questions by June, 18 2021:

What steps will you personally take as Attorney General to engage directly with left behind parents and their advocacy organizations?

How will you direct the Department to prevent and resolve cases of international parental child abduction? Will you commit to directing U.S. Attorneys and DOJ staff to aggressively prosecute cases of international parental child abduction? If not, why not?

How will you work with the President and your colleagues at other agencies to reunite kidnapped children with their left-behind parents? What will you do to make sure this is a national priority as a well as a departmental one?

Are you willing to utilize extradition as a tool to bring those who kidnap American citizen children to justice in the United States?

We welcome your personal engagement on this issue and appreciate your timely attention to this important matter.

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