Unlawful conduct with respect to immigration documents
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
(a) Destruction, Concealment, Removal, Confiscation, or Possession of Immigration Documents.—It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly destroy, conceal, remove, confiscate, or possess, an actual or purported passport or other immigration document of another individual—
(1) in the course of violating section 1351 of this title or section 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324);
(2) with intent to violate section 1351 of this title or section 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324); or
(3) in order to, without lawful authority, maintain, prevent, or restrict the labor of services of the individual.
(b) Penalty. Any person who violates subsection (a) shall be , imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.
(c) Obstruction. Any person who knowingly obstructs, to obstruct, or in any way interferes with or prevents the enforcement of this section, shall be subject to the penalties described in subsection (b).
History: (Added Pub. L. 113–4, title XII, §1211(c)(1), Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 142.)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime to knowingly destroy, hide, take, or hold another person's passport or immigration document while committing, or to commit, certain immigration or visa fraud crimes, or to control that person's labor without legal authority. Interfering with enforcement is also a crime.