International Problem

If I go into an American Embassy to renew my passport and I have an old warrant in the states, can the american Embassy arrest and deport me on the spot, even though I have a family in the country I live in, plus they have a hold on me in this country for child support?

Good question, probably they won't bother unless you committed something particularly heinous.

I guess they question is whether you fear them taking you away right there in the Embassy or filing something with your local government to try to extradite you. If it’s the former, just give the Embassy a call and ask. If it’s the latter, I don’t think you will know unless you try. You may also want to ask a local lawyer about extradition from your country of residence for your US warrant.

I live in Costa Rica. They have extradition rights but only for murder or child kidnapping. My crime is jumping bail on a $500 bond for a bad check. My wife is sick at the thought of them taking me away immediatley. I can fight extradition and it gives me time to get my things squared away.
Extradition takes time from what I've seen here. They extradited that "Dr." that killed that patient in New York from here and that took a while.
My concern is that they won't let me leave the Embassy and tell me, "you'll be on the next plane out of here, boy"....lol
I know that if Costa Rican government has a "hold" on a foreigner, that foreinger cannot be "deported", don't know about extraditing.
The Embassy here is of no use. If I ask them questions, they'd lie about it just to **** you in and then bingo........cuffed.....

I’m not sure the answer to your question of whether the US can or will arrest you at the Embassy and try to deport you for such a relatively minor crime. I’d suggest that you do a bit of research to see if the US has EVER arrested someone on a US violation who stepped into an Embassy. I’m not sure by I’d guess that there’d be some articles about that if it has ever happened before. It doesn’t sound likely that you would be the “first” person to encounter this, it it’s done.

Another thought: How would they “deport” you from the Embassy without taking you through Costa Rica to the airport? As soon as you leave the Embassy grounds, you fall under the jurisdiction of the local authorities, not the US… and I seriously doubt that the US would risk a diplomatic incident over you…

They would have to take me out of there in a helicopter and I don't think that's going to happen for a lousy check.

How would one go about finding out if this has happened before? I'm sure that there have been many people go to the embassy to either renew or get a new passport (passports are stolen by the dozens here in Costa Rica) that have piddlyass warrants.

I know this is an old posting, but the hilarity in it was offensive. It isn't "piddlyassed" to the people you wrote a bad check to, nor is it "piddlyassed" to the children you spawned and don't support. Your wife is "sick at the thought of them taking you away immediately?" Do you think she feels any worse than the woman and children you left behind? The thought also occurs to me that the honorable thing to do is to support children you brought into the world and pay for a check you wrote that was dishonored. The government wouldn't have to MAKE me do this. The fact I had to look at myself in the mirror every morning knowing I failed not only my children I abandoned, but also myself would be too much to bear.

Being arrested or extradited is NOT your biggest problem. Your lack of integrity is.

I do believe I need a step ladder down from my high horse. I am positively lightheaded.