The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that it wants to start prodding people to use Real ID-compliant identification next year but will grant another two-year delay before fully mandating its use.
The move is an acknowledgment that more than 40% of Americans still don’t have one of the more secure IDs mandated by law. But it is also a signal that years of delay are coming to an end.
Under the new phased-in approach, federal agencies that require ID would start issuing warnings next year but wouldn’t have to deny people services until 2027.
“REAL ID provides an important security enhancement, and this rule allows us to plan for a range of scenarios to help minimize the potential impact to travelers, industry stakeholders and states during implementation,” said David Pekoske, head of the Transportation Security Administration, which is the federal agency where most Americans are likely to encounter Real ID demands.
Real ID was enacted by Congress in 2005 to respond to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when foreign men, some in the country illegally, managed to board airplanes using U.S.-issued identification.
The law pushes states to adopt stricter standards for verifying someone is who they say they are — and that they are in the country legally — before they can get an identification valid for federal purposes, such as boarding an airplane or entering a federal courthouse.
The initial deadline for requiring the stricter IDs was supposed to be in 2008, but every administration since then has delayed it, pointing to states’ troubles in getting their systems working and to Americans’ reluctance to adopt the new standard.
The current deadline is set for May 7, 2025.
Homeland Security’s announcement on Thursday says the government will stick to next year’s target in name, while not demanding full compliance until May 5, 2027.
In a lengthy regulatory filing in the Federal Register, Mr. Pekoske said just 56% of currently issued driver’s licenses or state identification cards are Real ID compliant, and based on current trends, that will only be at 61.2% by next year’s deadline.
People showing up with noncompliant IDs would cause havoc for federal agencies.
He said airports could find themselves with massive lines of people who don’t have compliant IDs, leading to missed flights. And federal buildings where people come to get services, such as Social Security, could have problems letting people in the door.
“Without this flexibility, and especially if the adoption rate remains low leading up to May 7, 2025, DHS believes Federal agencies could face a serious risk of operational disruption, negative public impact, and potential security vulnerabilities,” Mr. Pekoske said in the regulatory filing.
For a long time the holdup was the states themselves.
It took years for some of them to work out data and computer system issues. But every state now can issue a Real ID compliant identification.
Rosemary Jenks, policy director at the Immigration Accountability Project, said the Biden administration shouldn’t be granting more grace periods.
“It’s just not that hard to get a Real ID. It’s just not,” Ms. Jenks said. “If you tell people you will not be able to get on a plane or go into a federal government building without a Real ID by X date, then the people who want to go into federal buildings or get on a plane are going to go get a Real ID.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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