MORNING GLORY: 'REAL ID' is coming for you

It is my 2nd travel to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles successful 4 days. I admit from the commencement it is my responsibility that I had to marque 2 trips. When I traveled 2 weeks ago, the affable TSA agents reminded maine —repeatedly— that travel May 7, I would request to bring my passport arsenic my valid Virginia driver’s licence was non-compliant with the REAL ID Act.

I was vaguely alert that the propulsion for caller "REAL" IDs was back, the request to get 1 having been suspended during Covid, but unaware that the deadline loomed.

So past Thursday I trekked to my section DMV office, bringing on my current, valid, Virginia driver’s license, my current, valid passport, my Social Security Card and my commencement certificate. Surely, I supposed, that would beryllium capable arsenic I’d been assured I could alert with conscionable the passport by the adjuvant Team TSA. 

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I decidedly needed the caller licence because, portion a "REAL ID is an optional, upgraded mentation of your driver’s licence oregon ID paper that has a prima successful the close corner," I had nary prima and nary tendency to transportation my passport everywhere. 

Not surprisingly, a batch of radical privation to get their"REAL ID" for arsenic the VA DMV helpfully alerts you: "Beginning May 7, 2025, the federal government will necessitate you to contiguous a REAL ID compliant driver's licence oregon ID card, oregon different federally approved signifier of ID, successful bid to committee a home formation oregon participate a unafraid national installation oregon subject basal (some subject bases whitethorn already necessitate REAL ID oregon a federally approved signifier of ID*)."

The DMV opens astatine 8 AM, truthful I rolled up past Thursday astatine 7:30 AM. The enactment was already much than a twelve radical long. An hr aboriginal much than 50 bully folks were lasting successful the enactment enactment waiting for 1 of the 3 DMV employees assigned to the REAL ID processing. The mean processing clip was 15 minutes —at the caput of the line. You whitethorn privation to battalion a luncheon if you get determination astatine authoritative opening time. 

It had not occurred to DMV to possibly adhd immoderate unit for REAL ID deadline days, oregon reassign others from the modular engaged work. No. Just 3 DMVers connected Thursday and 3 again connected Monday. 

I’d flunked REAL ID eligibility past week due to the fact that nary of my existent documents database my location address. I usage a P.O. Box for a assortment of reasons connected my driver’s licence and had —wrongfully it turns out— thought that arsenic a passport could get maine connected the plane, my passport positive my driver’s license, commencement certificate and Social Security paper should service to unafraid my star, right?

Wrong. I needed a inferior measure oregon a owe connection oregon a elector registration paper with my location code connected it. When I smiled my mild protestation that, arsenic a valid passport is capable to committee a plane, wherefore would it not beryllium capable to get my "REAL ID" I got the DMV look back. It’s the aforesaid look astatine each DMV everywhere. She had heard it each before, but it says connected the VIrginia DMV website that I needed documents with my location address. Hadn’t I work the DMV website?

Ms. DMV sent maine location successful hunt of "secondary documents" with my carnal code connected it. "Your location deed volition work" she helpfully offered. 

I dutifully trooped disconnected to my Registrar of Voters and got a elector paper with my location code connected it. I added a people retired of a inferior measure and a people retired of my owe and returned 3 days later. And held my breath. 

The young’n successful beforehand of maine was getting changeable down and was not happy. He’d taken disconnected work. He’d conscionable moved here. He worked remotely and didn’t person a brag who could constitute him a missive with his location code connected it. He hadn’t opened a slope account. 

There were unhappy Virginia drivers astatine windows 2 and 3 arsenic well, perplexed that their authorities authorities was making it hard for them to get a caller mentation of their perfectly ineligible driver’s license. 

Expressing dismay astatine a DMV antagonistic is simply a rookie mistake. Never, ever explicit unhappiness oregon dissatisfaction of immoderate benignant with anyone astatine immoderate DMV. Ever. It volition go a people successful your imperishable record, and portion thing other moves rapidly among the nation’s DMVs, connection of troublemakers situation airy velocity successful their travels. My proposal is based connected acquisition with 4 authorities DMVs and the District of Columbia DMV (the second is wherever crying citizens tin beryllium seen connected an astir on-demand basis.)

So having obtained the paperwork and a committedness that the caller licence would beryllium sent —to my P.O. Box, of course— I decided to hunt retired the archetypal crushed for "Real ID." 

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Turns retired that "The REAL ID Act" was passed successful 2005, pursuing recommendations from the 9/11 Commission to acceptable national standards for state-issued identification. 2005! Now, it’s been 20 years since the instrumentality passed and astir 24 since 9/11, truthful the adjacent question is "Why the urgency now?"

As acold arsenic I tin archer from the Transportation Security Agency website, the May 7 deadline is present due to the fact that it is – determination had to beryllium a deadline sometime. It’s the aforesaid crushed that octogenarians are routinely pulled speech for peculiar screening due to the fact that the buzzer sounds astatine the TSA station. Doesn’t substance if you person "TSA-pre" oregon "Clear" oregon person zero luggage and not adjacent a sweater. The buzzer is the virtual guillotine, and determination are Madame Defarges everyplace to enforce the buzzer. 

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Here’s the bully news. If you entered the state without support but obtained "Temporary Protected Status" nether 1 of the Biden-era machinations, you excessively tin get a "REAL ID: "Yes, a TPS beneficiary oregon idiosyncratic with a pending TPS exertion tin get a REAL ID compliant licence oregon recognition card: "The Secretary of Homeland Security whitethorn designate a overseas state for TPS owed to conditions successful the state that temporarily forestall the country's nationals from returning safely, oregon successful definite circumstances, wherever the state is incapable to grip the instrumentality of its nationals adequately. USCIS whitethorn assistance TPS to eligible nationals of definite designated countries (or parts of countries), who are already successful the United States. Eligible individuals without nationality who past habitually resided successful the designated state whitethorn besides beryllium granted TPS." Such folks are eligible for REAL ID. 

Good to cognize that. But amended to cognize the passport that volition get you connected to the level travel Wednesday volition not get you a REAL ID. Forewarned is forearmed. 

Hugh Hewitt is simply a Fox News contributor, and big of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET connected the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast connected Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America connected implicit 400 affiliates nationwide, and connected each the streaming platforms wherever SNC tin beryllium seen. He is simply a predominant impermanent connected the Fox News Channel’s quality roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays astatine 6pm ET. A lad of Ohio and a postgraduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law astatine Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 wherever helium teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous vigor amusement from Los Angeles successful 1990. Hewitt has often appeared connected each large nationalist quality tv network, hosted tv shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for each large American paper, has authored a twelve books and moderated a people of Republican campaigner debates, astir precocious the November 2023 Republican statesmanlike statement successful Miami and 4 Republican statesmanlike debates successful the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his vigor amusement and his file connected the Constitution, nationalist security, American authorities and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump implicit his 40 years successful broadcast, and this file previews the pb communicative that volition thrust his radio/ TV amusement today.

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