FAIR: REAL ID Will Provide Real Security Benefits for the American People

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, nearly 20 years to the day after President George W. Bush signed it into law, the REAL ID Act finally goes into effect. The implementation of the law is vital to enhancing national security and protecting the integrity of our elections.

REAL ID was enacted after an independent bipartisan commission investigated the events of 9/11 and concluded that the ability of the terrorists, some of whom were in the country illegally, to obtain valid state-issued driver's licenses helped facilitate the attacks. The 19 foreign nationals who hijacked commercial airliners on 9/11 were able to acquire more than 30 driver's licenses among them allowing them to roam freely in the county. Many of those IDs displayed different personal data.

The 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses." The REAL ID Act established minimum security standards which states must follow when issuing licenses, requiring that applicants provide verifiable information that establishes identity and legal presence in the country.

"Today's implementation of REAL ID is long overdue, after years of unjustifiable delays that have compromised public safety, national security and the interests of the American people," said Julie Kirchner, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "These delays have been driven by states that prioritize illegal aliens ahead of American citizens, and successive federal administrations that have acquiesced to politically driven foot-dragging. We commend the Trump administration for finally standing firm on the deadline for implementation.

"Full implementation of REAL ID comes at a time of intensified international turmoil and heightened threats against the security of the United States. There are now at least 18.6 million people living in this country illegally, many whose true identities and reasons for being here cannot be established. Requiring the use of identity documents that ensures we know who is boarding planes or entering sensitive federal facilities is not just common sense – it is now the law," Kirchner concluded.

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Ira Mehlman
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SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)