The Adam Walsh Child Protection Act has been in legal news because of the implication that it is in effect an ex post facto law. This issue has yet to be completely dealt with because even though the bill was authorized by the US Congress and Senate with subsequent Presidential signature, the US Supreme Court is the ultimate decision maker regarding constitutionality. At the time of this writing, the Supreme Court has yet to rule with finality one way or the other regarding the Adam Walsh Act.
This legislation has much in common with the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act because it inhibits a US Citizen’s ability to file an immigration petition on behalf of an alien family member.
Under relevant sections of the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, Lawful Permanent Residents and US Citizens who have been convicted or plead guilty to a “specified offense against a minor” are precluded from acquiring approval of any immigration petition based on any sort of underlying family relationship. The Adam Walsh Act also bars U.S. citizens convicted of these aforementioned offenses from filing non-immigrant visa petitions that would categorize their fiancees, spouses, or minor children as eligible for “K” non-immigrant status (K1, K2, K3, K4).