Latest news with #MagdalenaKrajewska
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
How many Americans are actually ready for REAL ID? Compliance crosses partisan, geographic bounds
With REAL ID's deadline approaching Wednesday, there are still swaths of the country where travelers could run into trouble trying to hit the skies for summer break. Although at least 12 states are more than 90% REAL ID-compliant, many still have significant portions of their populations who will need a passport to fly. The states in the proverbial green include Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming as well as Washington, D.C. Texas reported 98% compliance, Mississippi 97%, Hawaii and Utah 96%, according to a CBS survey. New Jersey has recently made headlines for its low REAL ID compliance, but it tops the nation in passport ownership, with 69% of residents holding one, according to data from the Center for American Progress and Swift Passport Services. Married Women Face Real Id Documentation Hurdles: 'I Can't Accept This' Read On The Fox News App A TSA agent, DMV facility, and lines of travelers at a U.S. airport are seen in this split image. A 2005 Real ID law takes hold on May 7, 2025, after a 20-year delay, prompting a frenzied 11th-hour surge of travelers to their local DMVs to obtain the new identification. Delaware, California, New York, Massachusetts and Alaska also ranked high. Though geographically diverse, all the states – except Delaware – serve as major international travel hubs, home to airports like Ted Stevens, Logan, and JFK. The First State, however, is only a short distance from Philadelphia International Airport. By contrast, the states with the lowest proportion of passport holders tend to be ones without major airports: West Virginia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama. What effect that may have on REAL ID-era travel remains unclear. Those states do, however, have regional Amtrak stops like Harpers Ferry, Jackson, Ashland and Birmingham, respectively. REAL ID is not required for intrastate or interstate rail travel. Real Id Is About To Go Into Effect: Here's How It May Impact Voting A REAL ID is an identification that includes a star emblazoned in the upper corner to denote the holder has provided additional identifying documentation like a Social Security card to a government agent. It will be required for air travel and to enter most government or military installations. The law requiring REAL ID was passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, but has been delayed several times by multiple presidential administrations. Last week, Wingate University political science professor Dr. Magdalena Krajewska – an expert on national ID cards – told the school's news outlet she was surprised the delays have taken so long. "I feel like all of us who were alive during that time, all of us who witnessed this as it was happening, thought the U.S. would do everything to prevent something similar from happening again," she said. Krajewska added it is important that people also know they don't need a REAL ID to enter less-secure government locations like a post office. Original article source: How many Americans are actually ready for REAL ID? Compliance crosses partisan, geographic bounds
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is REAL ID really necessary? What authorities are saying
The Department of Homeland Security in May will begin implementing REAL ID requirements for U.S. travelers for the first time, a move that comes as the administration looks to act on some of President Donald Trump's top policy priorities, including its crackdown on illegal immigration and border security. The enhanced ID requirements are slated to take effect May 7 and will apply to all U.S. travelers over the age of 18. The law establishing REAL IDs isn't new: Congress first passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in an effort to crack down on identity verification in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and set "minimum security standards" for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. But after 20 years of slow-walking the law's enforcement, the abrupt timing of the May 7 enforcement is likely to catch many Americans flat-footed. Just how necessary is obtaining a "REAL ID"? We broke down the changes coming next month and what's at stake for those who don't comply. Here's what you need to know in the final weeks before the new rules take force. Supreme Court To Hear Oral Arguments In Birthright Citizenship Case Read On The Fox News App Beginning May 7, all federal agencies, including DHS and TSA, are required to accept only state-issued driver's licenses and state identification cards that comply with the updated identity verification standards. The goal of the REAL ID Act is "to make state driver's licenses and ID cards (which are identification cards that states issue to non-drivers) more secure, less susceptible to fraud, and more reliable as a form of identification," Magdalena Krajewska, an associate political science professor, wrote in a 2020 article for the Oxford Academic. (The government has for years tried to stand up the REAL ID requirements, most recently in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic.) The law seeks to add another layer of security to various forms of identification and to make it harder to counterfeit state IDs. Federal Judge Orders Halt To Trump Admin's Cfpb Terminations The short answer: It depends. In order to obtain this enhanced form of ID, individuals must present to their local DMV valid proof of identity; proof of their Social Security number and date of birth, and two additional documents that prove they live in the state. This varies from state to state, though updated guidance can be found here. The good news is that individuals can obtain one of the enhanced IDs at any time. All 50 states, D.C., and five U.S. territories are now issuing REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses and ID cards, according to the DHS. The REAL ID requirements are a "coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver's licenses and identification cards for individuals across the federal government," Bart Johnson, TSA's federal security director for upstate New York, told reporters this month. Every adult in the U.S., if they want to travel by plane or enter government facilities. "Every air traveler 18 years of age and older must have a REAL ID-compliant ID, which is a state-issued driver's license, state-issued identification card, or another acceptable form of ID, such as a U.S. passport" before the May 7 deadline, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. Though the other IDs are not rendered obsolete, the TSA said Americans will need to present these new IDs every time they board a commercial flight, even when traveling on a domestic trip. They will also need this updated ID to access federal facilities or be granted access to federal buildings. No, not everyone needs to get a new ID. In fact, certain states have required REAL ID verification from residents for years, meaning individuals living in those states and with active forms of identification need not hustle to the local DMV. Enhanced and "REAL ID-compliant" identification cards are marked with a seal, often a star in the top right-hand corner, according to DHS. The abrupt enforcement timeline could catch many Americans flat-footed, especially ahead of what is predicted to be a busy summer travel season. While legacy IDs are still valid for travel, including driving, airline passengers who present noncompliant forms of ID before boarding, and without another acceptable alternative, such as a passport, "can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint," DHS officials article source: Is REAL ID really necessary? What authorities are saying
Fox News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Is REAL ID really necessary? What authorities are saying
The Department of Homeland Security in May will begin implementing REAL ID requirements for U.S. travelers for the first time, a move that comes as the administration looks to act on some of President Donald Trump's top policy priorities, including its crackdown on illegal immigration and border security. The enhanced ID requirements are slated to take effect May 7 and will apply to all U.S. travelers over the age of 18. The law establishing REAL IDs isn't new: Congress first passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in an effort to crack down on identity verification in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and set "minimum security standards" for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. But after 20 years of slow-walking the law's enforcement, the abrupt timing of the May 7 enforcement is likely to catch many Americans flat-footed. Just how necessary is obtaining a "REAL ID"? We broke down the changes coming next month and what's at stake for those who don't comply. Here's what you need to know in the final weeks before the new rules take force. Beginning May 7, all federal agencies, including DHS and TSA, are required to accept only state-issued driver's licenses and state identification cards that comply with the updated identity verification standards. The goal of the REAL ID Act is "to make state driver's licenses and ID cards (which are identification cards that states issue to non-drivers) more secure, less susceptible to fraud, and more reliable as a form of identification," Magdalena Krajewska, an associate political science professor, wrote in a 2020 article for the Oxford Academic. (The government has for years tried to stand up the REAL ID requirements, most recently in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic.) The law seeks to add another layer of security to various forms of identification and to make it harder to counterfeit state IDs. The short answer: It depends. In order to obtain this enhanced form of ID, individuals must present to their local DMV valid proof of identity; proof of their Social Security number and date of birth, and two additional documents that prove they live in the state. This varies from state to state, though updated guidance can be found here. The good news is that individuals can obtain one of the enhanced IDs at any time. All 50 states, D.C., and five U.S. territories are now issuing REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses and ID cards, according to the DHS. The REAL ID requirements are a "coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver's licenses and identification cards for individuals across the federal government," Bart Johnson, TSA's federal security director for upstate New York, told reporters this month. Every adult in the U.S., if they want to travel by plane or enter government facilities. "Every air traveler 18 years of age and older must have a REAL ID-compliant ID, which is a state-issued driver's license, state-issued identification card, or another acceptable form of ID, such as a U.S. passport" before the May 7 deadline, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. Though the other IDs are not rendered obsolete, the TSA said Americans will need to present these new IDs every time they board a commercial flight, even when traveling on a domestic trip. They will also need this updated ID to access federal facilities or be granted access to federal buildings. No, not everyone needs to get a new ID. In fact, certain states have required REAL ID verification from residents for years, meaning individuals living in those states and with active forms of identification need not hustle to the local DMV. Enhanced and "REAL ID-compliant" identification cards are marked with a seal, often a star in the top right-hand corner, according to DHS. The abrupt enforcement timeline could catch many Americans flat-footed, especially ahead of what is predicted to be a busy summer travel season. While legacy IDs are still valid for travel, including driving, airline passengers who present noncompliant forms of ID before boarding, and without another acceptable alternative, such as a passport, "can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint," DHS officials said.
