This is bigger than any of us ever imagined.

[DFW]

43. That depends on the software, I guess

Here in the EU if your ID is canceled, the first time you try to scan it, it will be rejected EU-wide. Getting a new passport as a replacement for a lost or stolen one is easy, granted, but the moment you are caught trying to use the one reported lost or stolen, it comes down pretty hard on the one trying to use it--it the States, that is.

It's the other way around in Germany. We had been trying to catch a gang of organized thieves from Croatia for about a year, and we finally cornered their leader in Hannover. This was before Croatia had joined the EU. We asked for the guy's ID, and he said he spoke no German. Frisking him, we found a German passport saying he was Herr Becker, born in Essen, Germany. So, Herr Becker, born in Essen and traveling with a German passport spoke no German? A quick look at "his" passport showed what was going on. The photo had been replaced with a fuzzy photo of this guy, and there was a Croatian entry stamp, but no exit stamp. I.E. the real Herr Becker had been relieved of his passport while traveling in Croatia. When he realized he was going nowhere, the Croatian's German improved markedly (being caught made him a fast learner, or something). We then called the local Hannover cops. When they showed up, I gave them the names of squad leaders of the Munich cops and the Berlin cops who were looking for him, and the locals carted the guy off. He was brought before a judge a day or two later, and the judge said, well the only proof here is a "minor passport violation" and set him free. Just let him walk.

Get caught entering or leaving the USA on a fake passport, and I promise you, there is no such thing as a "minor passport violation."