As Individuals scramble to get their REAL IDs, passports, and different federally acknowledged identification earlier than the Could 7 deadline, Homeland Safety officers at the moment are saying to not fear—at the very least not but.
In a congressional listening to Tuesday, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem informed lawmakers that vacationers and not using a REAL ID—or one other compliant type of identification like a passport—“might be allowed to fly” so long as they undergo further screening.
“What is going to occur tomorrow is people will come by means of the road and … present [their ID],” Noem mentioned. “If it’s not compliant, they might be diverted to a unique line, have an additional step, however individuals might be allowed to fly.”
Company officers mentioned that roughly 81% of U.S. vacationers already carry a compliant ID. If a driver’s license qualifies, it’ll sometimes have a black or gold star within the prime proper nook. Different acceptable kinds embody a Division of Protection ID, a World Entry card, a inexperienced card, or a passport.
If vacationers present up at airport checkpoints with out certainly one of these, they might face delays however not a full journey ban.
“We’ll make sure that it’s as seamless as attainable,” Noem mentioned.
REAL ID was initially set to be required at airports, army bases, and safe federal buildings, like courthouses, starting Wednesday. The coverage, advisable by the 9/11 Fee and signed into legislation in 2005, has been postponed repeatedly, most just lately by former President Joe Biden, who prolonged the deadline for enforcement to Could 7, 2025. And now it’s already exhibiting indicators of unraveling.
So it’s truthful to ask: What’s the purpose?
You don’t want a REAL ID to drive, open a checking account, or vote. And regardless of years of planning, the rollout has been a multitude.
In the meantime, the Trump administration has much more pressing aviation issues. Simply final week, air site visitors controllers briefly misplaced radar and radio contact with planes headed to Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport, triggering days of flight delays and cancellations.
Past that, the Trump administration has no clear plan for fixing mounting air site visitors management failures aside from finger-pointing at Biden.
The REAL ID program has additionally drawn criticism from civil rights teams who warn that it would create a de facto nationwide ID system by forcing states to share private knowledge with the federal authorities.
On Tuesday, Noem notably gave no timeline for when non-compliant IDs might be totally rejected.
And making use of for a REAL ID isn’t precisely straightforward. At a minimal, candidates should present a doc exhibiting their full authorized title and date of start, proof of deal with—through utility invoice or financial institution assertion—and paperwork verifying their id and authorized standing, like a start certificates or passport. All for a doc that will or will not be required on the airport beginning right this moment.
Officers admit the rollout has brought on confusion and will gradual airport safety traces, and TSA is now recommending that anybody touring with solely a typical driver’s license permit an additional hour to get by means of screening.
Simply extra bureaucratic pink tape, much less readability, and nonetheless no signal that this truly makes flying safer.
