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REAL ID enforcement delayed again amid logistical challenges

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REAL ID enforcement delayed again amid logistical challenges
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The March 2025 deadline for the enforcement of REAL ID requirements will not be met, marking another delay in a series that began with the original 2008 deadline. A new proposed rule suggests full enforcement might not begin until May 2027. In the interim, passengers with non-compliant IDs will receive notifications urging them to obtain updated identification.

The necessity of government-issued IDs at airport security stems from federal 'no fly' and 'enhanced screening' lists, which determine travel conditions for passengers. These measures are intended to ensure that individuals on these lists cannot bypass security by using false identities.

The requirement for an ID to fly was initiated following the explosion of TWA Flight 800 when President Clinton demanded immediate airline security measures. To comply with REAL ID standards, a license must include a person's full legal name, signature, date of birth, gender, unique identifying number, home address, and a front-facing photo. States must verify several documents before issuing a REAL ID-compliant license.

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Deadlines have repeatedly been pushed back due to logistical challenges and political considerations. No politician wants to face backlash from voters unable to travel due to non-compliant IDs during election cycles. Additionally, states lack the capacity to produce enough compliant IDs by the current deadlines.

Despite these delays, TSA has announced plans to exempt mobile driver's licenses from REAL ID requirements when May 2025 arrives. Moreover, passengers often pass through checkpoints without stringent ID checks or even without any ID at all by answering personal questions derived from databases.

Critics argue that watch lists are ineffective and filled with inaccuracies. The FBI has mistakenly placed innocent people on no-fly lists; over two million names appear on terror watch lists. Legal challenges have been limited as inclusion on these lists is only reviewable by circuit courts under specific statutes that favor TSA's judgment.

Furthermore, targeting lists are widely distributed beyond national security purposes and shared with over 1,400 private organizations and other governments. Allegations have surfaced that federal lawyers falsely claimed restricted distribution of these lists.

Airport security practices have faced scrutiny as well; TSA's own filings indicate no known plots against civilian airliners a decade after 9/11. Critics argue that heightened checkpoint security merely shifts risk rather than eliminating it altogether.

Despite the long-standing mandate for REAL ID since its inception over two decades ago following September 11 attacks, implementation delays suggest it may not be perceived as urgently necessary by authorities responsible for national security.

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