Submitted by John Vibes via TheAntiMedia.org,
To comply with the 2005 Real ID Act, which the U.S. government has been slowly implementing for the past decade, citizens in a number of different U.S. states will now be forced to obtain a passport if they want to board an airplane – even for domestic flights.
The Department of Homeland Security and representatives with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have declined to comment on why certain states have been singled out, but starting in 2016, residents of New York, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and American Samoa will need a passport to fly domestically. All other states will still be able to use their state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs — for now, at least.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s guidelines on enforcement of the Real ID Act,
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on December 20, 2013 a phased enforcement plan for the REAL ID Act (the Act), as passed by Congress, that will implement the Act in a measured, fair, and responsible way.
Secure driver’s licenses and identification documents are a vital component of our national security framework. The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government ‘set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.’ The Act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, no sooner than 2016, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.
States and other jurisdictions have made significant progress in enhancing the security of their licenses over the last number of years. As a result, approximately 70-80% of all U.S. drivers hold licenses from jurisdictions: (1) determined to meet the Act’s standards; or (2) that have received extensions. Individuals holding driver’s licenses or identification cards from these jurisdiction may continue to use them as before.
Individuals holding licenses from noncompliant jurisdictions will need to follow alternative access control procedures for purposes covered by the Act. As described below, enforcement for boarding aircraft will occur no sooner than 2016.”
According to the fine print, not all 50 states have driver’s licences that meet the Real ID requirements, which could possibly explain why the aforementioned regions will not qualify in 2016. However, there is no specific mention of what the requirements actually are.
The Real ID act has been controversial since its initial proposal over ten years ago and is seen by many as a massive violation of privacy. One of the primary reasons it has taken the government so long to roll this program out is that the program is wildly unpopular and creates heavy backlash every time it appears in the news.
The tightening of the Real ID restrictions are seemingly intended to push people towards attaining the newly issued “enhanced ID,” which adds more unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy to the already tedious process involved in identification applications.
…we are on our way to an internal passport system, not like what is done in communist countries…
Does this mean that Illegal aliens will get Passports and Drivers License to?
Papers, please.
Illegals can get drivers licenses.
Citizens need passports.
Every day, without fail, presents us with a newer, bigger, stinkier Shit Sandwich. I wish we would invade Russia.
How did California pass?
Agree that it is “papers please”! The referenced article states that those five do not require proof the you live in the state for a license to be issued. FYI, proof can be in the form of a utility bill or bank statement in your name showing the address.
Suck it up! Its for for your own and the public’s protection.
And the ‘Frog’s’ in the pot of water don’t notice the heat a little higher as they sing –
“We were sailing along, Moonlight Bay and you could hear the Froggy’s singing…..
@robert h
The California driver’s license obviously meets the DHS for “Real ID”; it incorporates at least 3 computer readable formats. It has multiple anti forging features similar to what you see on the new and improved pass ports. The only thing that I’m not able to detect on the Cal DL that is on the new electronic Pass Port is the RFID chip. For those that may not know, countries are now issuing a more sophisticated electronic Pass Port that has an RFID chip imbedded in the cover.
This is what TPTB will ultimately achieve. It will probably be in some other form of sophisticated technology, but this picture should give you some Idea of what to expect is in your future.[img[/img]
Another “feature” brought to you by the Bush/Cheney admin.
Westcoaster
If you think all the evil in the world is the result of Bush and Cheney, you truly have blinders on.
A set of R/D blinders.
All Californians entering Arizona should be required to wear ankle bracelets, carry passports, notarized copies of their birth certificate, have at least 10 forms of photo ID, and make a non-refundable deposit of $10,000 at the border.
Did I miss something?
That’s fine. I didn’t want to go anywhere anyway.