Latest news with #DanVelez
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Real ID enforcement at Boston's Logan Airport was smooth on first day, TSA says
May 7 marks the first day of Real ID enforcement and a TSA New England spokesperson told WBZ-TV it's been a smooth day of travel for airports in the region. Even the procrastinators made sure they had a Real ID before the policy kicked in Wednesday morning. "Usually, I'm the last one for stuff like this," traveler Ashley Olive said. "But I got the jump on it this time." Others arrived at Terminal A without one after struggling to get an appointment for weeks at the RMV. "You can't get an appointment, or it says in a month or something," Areta Odiah said before going through TSA. "Honestly, it's tough." It's a good thing she had her passport on hand - another acceptable form of identification to get through airport security checkpoints. If you rely on your driver's license to fly domestically - it now has to be a Real ID. You can tell if it's a Real ID if there's a gold or black star on the upper right corner. Stricter screenings for passengers without Real ID TSA New England spokesperson Dan Velez said passengers without one will get pulled out of line for stricter screenings. "It can include ID verification where we're going to ask you a bunch of questions to verify your identity. It could include a bag search. It could include a hand swab, pat down," Velez said. "We have different techniques that we use and it's never the same. It varies from person to person, and it also varies from airport to airport." It's been a smooth travel day at Logan with little delays and Velez believes the weeks of reminders have helped. "All the media attention that's been on it for the last two weeks - I'm like that's done. I'm done with that," traveler Heidi Oppel said. Others say a passport will have to do for now. "I will definitely get it soon," Odiah said. May 7 isn't the deadline to get a Real ID, it's the start of enforcement. If you have a passport or another acceptable form of identification, you can use that and make an appointment for a Real ID at another date.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Real ID enforcement takes off Wednesday at Charlotte airport and across Carolinas
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Starting on Wednesday, May 7, if you're headed to the airport for domestic travel, you need a Real ID or TSA acceptable identification to expedite the security process. At Charlotte Douglas International Airport Security Checkpoint 1, agents now ask you if you have a Real ID driver's license, passport, or any of these approved identification cards. North Carolina TSA spokesperson Dan Velez said if you don't have any of these, you can still get through security, but you have to go through an additional screening where agents will ask you additional questions to verify your identity. 'Wings For All' takes children with intellectual disabilities through Charlotte Airport 'Our federal security directors are ready to go for their specific airports,' Velez said. 'It'll vary from airport to airport, but for the most part, you'll be pulled aside, and you'll have to go through an additional verification process to make sure that you are who you say you are.' An agent at Checkpoint 1 told Queen City News that anyone without these IDs would go through the line, then visit agents at lines 11-13 to go through the additional screening. TSA asks that you arrive three hours before your flight to allow time for this process. Security lines averaged 10 minutes Wednesday morning on the first day of the new enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
What happens if you don't have a Real ID by Wednesday?
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – If you are a traveler who is not Real ID-compliant by Wednesday, you'll still be able to fly, but you'll just need another form of identification. While travelers may still be able to fly, they should prepare for additional screenings at the airport. The Real ID Act has been delayed three times, most recently due to the pandemic, according to the TSA. But now, the TSA said they're no longer pushing it back and are enforcing those looking to pass through airport checkouts and federal buildings. By the numbers: Massachusetts sees drop in families needing emergency housing 'They're basically an ID card that proves you are who you say you are,' said Dan Velez, TSA Spokesperson for New England. 'And we're trying to protect these federal facilities and aircraft as much as possible.' Passports and enhanced driver's licenses are also being accepted as valid forms of identification. But those without a compliant form of identification may face extra steps and be diverted to a different line. 'They'll be identified prior to getting to the travel document checker, and then they will have to go through additional screening,' Velez said. 'So their security screening time will be a little bit longer than those who are Real ID-compliant, for sure.' Across Massachusetts, RMVs have been trying to meet the demand for Real ID-compliant driver's licenses or ID cards. Since the end of March, walk-ins were made available, leading to an increase in the number of customers seeking Real IDs. As of Monday, only 58% of state residents are Real ID-compliant, which is close to their 60% goal. The Massachusetts RMV advises anyone without a Real ID not to panic, since they can still apply after the deadline. 'If you have an active passport and you do have travel in May, you don't have to worry about upgrading your driver's license right now,' said Colleen Ogilvie of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles in Massachusetts. 'You can do this transaction at your normal renewal cycle. Again, it's a product we'll continue to offer.' The Massachusetts RMV is currently scheduled six weeks out until June 16. Many Massachusetts RMVs are also still accepting walk-ins until further notice. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
San Francisco Chronicle
24-04-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
What to know as US prepares to require REAL ID for many air travelers next month
Most adults catching a flight in the U.S. starting May 7 will be required to present a passport or an upgraded state-issued identification card that meets federal REAL ID standards. The requirement is 20 years in the making, but with just weeks to go, not everyone is ready for it. Officials in at least one state have requested another extension before enforcement begins. What is REAL ID? It's a driver's license or other state-issued ID that meets security requirements mandated in a 2005 law passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Obtaining an ID with the designation — indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states — means taking more documents to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs. The program has already been delayed several times by states that weren't prepared to offer the IDs, people being slow to update their documents and by the coronavirus pandemic. With those hurdles mostly passed, the government is set to require the new IDs rather than old state drivers licenses and IDs for commercial air travel starting May 7. Is the country ready? It's clear not everyone is. But it's less clear whether the nation is prepared. The Department of Homeland Security said in a report earlier this year that 56% of IDs in circulation nationally met the requirements as of January 2024. In 16 states, more than three in five IDs met the new standards, while the number was below two out of five in 22 states. About 81% of people flying recently have shown ID that would work once the new requirements kick in, according to a recent statement by Homeland Security. A group of state senators from Kentucky this week asked the agency to delay implementing the new requirements yet again. They said the state has limited appointments available to people seeking the new cards and that there has been a rush to meet the May 7 deadline. Dan Velez, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, said Thursday that the agency does not intend to delay the REAL ID again. Do you need a REAL ID, and if so, how do you get one? People who don't fly or visit military bases or other sites where the IDs are required may not need new identification. People who have photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations don't need anything new. Employment authorization green cards are already acceptable, as are some other less common identifying documents on the government's list. Still, a lot of people may need one. The enhanced cards have been available for years from every U.S. state and territory's motor vehicle agency. People who haven't obtained one by May 7 can still apply after that. The Department of Homeland Security website links to information in each state on scheduling appointments and lists the documents needed. But appointments can be hard to come by. None of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices had REAL ID appointments available as of Thursday afternoon. The same was true for most Illinois Department of Motor Vehicle sites. And in some states, the May 7 deadline might not be a big deal. In Florida and Texas, for instance, all drivers licenses are REAL ID compliant, so anyone who has a current one can use it to fly domestically.
