REAL ID: Real Scary?

by LaShawn Barber



Last Friday, head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Michael Chertoff (whom I gave the evil eye in a CNN green room) announced the final regulations of the REAL ID Act. Among other things, states have until May 2008 to comply with the law to keep residents’ current IDs valid for air travel (intent to comply is OK at this point), or seek waivers. Final implementation will be delayed until 2017.


Signed into law in 2005, the REAL ID Act was a response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, or more specifically, to the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations that the federal government set standards for identification cards. REAL ID requires states to comply with these standards if they wish to continue receiving federal dollars.


Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of REAL ID (and my favorite) is the requirement that people seeking a driver’s license prove they’re in the country legally. States must verify that these proof-of-status documents and social security numbers are legitimate. And DMVs will be required to take license photos at the beginning of the process instead of at the end. Why? If the person ends up not getting a license because they don’t have the necessary documents, their photos will be on file. The idea is to link up state databases, so if such people attempt to get a license in another state, a record of their failed attempts will show up. Additionally, the new IDs supposedly will be tamper-proof.



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