Real IDResidents of six Real ID-noncompliant states to face restrictions

Massachusetts is among the six states whose residents are unable to enter restricted parts of federal buildings without another identification card, such as a passport. The REAL ID measure requires states to verify citizenship and update security standards when issuing licenses. Congress passed the act to prevent terrorists who arrived in the country illegally from boarding planes. The act, which was originally supposed to take effect in 2005 but the deadline of which has been extended several times, stems from recommendations by the 9/11 Commission. Some of the hijackers who flew planes in the 9/11 attack used driver’s licenses to board the planes.

The Boston Globe reports that officials in Massachusetts, Maine, Oklahoma, Alaska, Arizona, and Louisiana say that the REAL ID program will cost millions and that it raises privacy concerns and infringes on state’ rights. “DHS is asking the states to do something radically different with their licensing systems,” said Cyndi Roy Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. “We want to make sure we do it right and do it well.”

DHS delayed enforcement of the 2005 law for years, and in April implemented the first phase of the program, which bans access to restricted areas of DHS headquarters for anyone without a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. The second phase, which began in July, restricts access to areas in federal buildings and nuclear power plants, and the third phase, set for January 2015, will limit access to most federal buildings where an ID is required. Massachusetts residents are worried about the fourth phase, which bans access to commercial aircrafts for anyone from a state which is REAL ID noncompliant.

“For any American citizen, they should find this whole program completely laughable and ridiculous,” Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said, adding that “The whole thing has been kind of a bit of a farce.” “I don’t hold out an awful lot of confidence it will be implemented in a timely way and have any effect on border security or national security,” he said.

To date, twenty states and the District of Columbia have received an extension to comply with the law; twenty-one states are compliant; while three states have not made changes to their identification cards, but offer a special license people can display when encountering restricted access.

DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron said the agency’s slow rollout allows the changes to occur in a “measured, fair, responsible, and achievable way.”