Haig V. Agee: Power To Revoke Passports :: essays research papers

Haig v. Agee Power to Revoke Passports     Whether a passport can be revoked or non has been a major question sincethe mid- 1800s. Haig v. Agee is a marge Supreme Court case charging thatthe Secretary of allege can not revoke a passport on the grounds that the powerhas never been granted by the recounting to the Secretary, and that revoking apassport violates the first and twenty percent amendments of the Constitution of theUnited severalizes. Not altogether does the Secretary of State contain implied powers, butrevoking Agees passport did not violate any laws or rights.     In Haig v. Agee, the defendant claims that the Passport Act of 1926 doesnot grant the Secretary of State the right to revoke passports. However, thePassport Act does state that the Secretary of State is the only person who cangrant and withhold passport applications. And establish upon later provisions, theSecretary can withhold applications if the party is involv ed with illicitactivities. If the Secretary of State can grant and withhold passports, was itimplied by the Congress that the Secretary has the powers to revoke passports?"The Secretary of State may grant and secrete passports, and cause passports to begranted, issued, and verified in foreign countries by diplomatical representativesof the United States . . . under such(prenominal) rules as the President shall designatedand prescribe for and on behalf of the United States, and no other person shallgrant, issue, or verify such passports." 22 U.S.C. 211a (1976 ed., Supp. IV).Since the Congress did not specify who has the powers to revoke passports, itshould be off-key that because the Secretary is the only person who can grantpassports, they are the only ones who can revoke passports on grounds of illegalactivities, such as fraud. If you consider that Agees passport was revokedbecause he was uncovering secret CIA agents, he was undoubtedly committingtreason. Though treason is usually considered to be evident during times of war,treason can also be defined as placing national protective covering in jeopardy, such asthe case of Agee. Agees passport should not only experience been taken, he shouldhave been extradited and tried by a control board for the crime of treason.     Agee also claims that since the power to revoke passports was notdirectly give to the Secretary of State or the President, then in order to installthey have the power, they must have revoked many passports in the past and havethe Congress approval. However, the need to revoke passports on the grounds of