---
kind: "section"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 1597"
title: "18"
title_heading: "Crimes and Criminal Procedure"
number: "1597"
heading: "Unlawful conduct with respect to immigration documents"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/18/1597"
units:
  - "Part I — Crimes"
  - "Chapter 77 — Peonage, Slavery, and Trafficking in Persons"
---

# §1597. Unlawful conduct with respect to immigration documents

- (a) **Destruction, Concealment, Removal, Confiscation, or Possession of Immigration Documents.—** It shall be unlawful for any [person](/usc/18/229F.md?p=5) 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](/usc/18/1351.md) or section 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ([8 U.S.C. 1324](/usc/8/1324.md));
  - (2) with intent to violate [section 1351 of this title](/usc/18/1351.md) or section 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ([8 U.S.C. 1324](/usc/8/1324.md)); or
  - (3) in order to, without lawful authority, maintain, prevent, or restrict the labor of services of the individual.
- (b) **Penalty.—** Any [person](/usc/18/229F.md?p=5) who violates [subsection (a)](#a) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.
- (c) **Obstruction.—** Any [person](/usc/18/229F.md?p=5) who knowingly 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 (b)](#b).

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 113–4, title XII, § 1211(c)(1), Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 142.)