Fox News: Pandemic, price tags and privacy concerns: Why it took 20 years to implement REAL ID

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Pandemic, price tags and privacy concerns: Why it took 20 years to implement REAL ID

Two decades and four presidents after the law was passed, a REAL ID will now be required to access federal facilities, enter nuclear power plants and board commercial aircraft.

                   
                       

Secretary of Homeland Security You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login announcement that REAL IDs will be required to fly starting May 7 has forced Americans to finally get compliant – 20 years after Congress passed the law. 

On May 11, 2005, President You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login signed the REAL ID Act into law to enhance national security in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Passed by the U.S. Congress, the act set federal standards for issuing identification cards, like driver's licenses.

Starting next month, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to access federal facilities, enter nuclear power plants and board commercial aircraft. REAL ID's rollout has faced nearly two decades of political pushback, setbacks and delays. 

In the two years after it was passed, the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) called for delaying its implementation, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. 

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Since its passing, states and advocacy groups have rejected its implementation. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – a longtime opponent of REAL ID implementation – You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login"discriminatory, expensive, burdensome, invasive, and ultimately counterproductive" in 2007 as disapproval grew nationwide. By 2009, at least 25 states had You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login opposing the REAL ID Act.

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States rejected REAL ID for a range of reasons, including costs, states' rights and privacy concerns. Three years after the law was passed, REAL ID's first deadline was set for May 11, 2008. But in the face of opposition, DHS extended the deadline to May 11, 2011, under President You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login administration. 

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login a four-phase plan that extended beyond the 2011 deadline. By 2016, 23 states were fully compliant with the REAL ID Act, 27 states and territories were granted extensions, and six were noncompliant without extensions, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. 

By Jan. 22, 2018, travelers would no longer be allowed to use a state-issued ID for domestic travel, and by Oct. 1, 2020, REAL ID "or another acceptable form of identification" would be required for domestic air travel. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to Oct. 1, 2021. That deadline was later You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, by President Joe Biden's administration "due to circumstances resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."

The Biden administration finally You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to May 7, 2025, to give states "additional time to ensure their residents have driver's licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act."

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Noem announced the May 7, 2025, deadline would hold as the Trump administration seeks to prevent illegal immigrants from traveling within the United States.

"Starting May 7, you will need a REAL ID to fly. REAL IDs make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists. If you plan to fly, make sure you get a REAL ID so you won't be denied from your flight or face travel delays!" You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. 

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