TSA Administrator Adam Stahl explained what Americans without REAL ID should do if they have an upcoming flight, and he addressed concerns about the potential for long lines as a result.
Enforcement of REAL ID went into effect on Wednesday in order for people to fly domestically within the United States and enter some federal buildings, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Stahl told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that people who “do not have a compliant REAL ID will experience possibly additional vetting, additional screening at the checkpoint. Those that do not – We’ll be working pretty aggressively to minimize any sort of impacts to the checkpoint, to travel to the checkpoint.”
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He noted that a military ID, a passport, and global entry are alternatives that somebody can use, but if they do not have any of those, they will make their flight.
“You will still get through the checkpoint. You’ll be okay. You may face some additional screening measures, and that’s why we’re really underscoring to folks to please go to the airport early.
He noted that REAL ID’s history stems from 9/11, even though the enforcement of the law has been pushed back several times.
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DHS noted that REAL ID will assist with immigration enforcement, as those in the country illegally will not be able to fly unless they are flying back to their country of origin.
“This is a law that was passed in 2005 called the Real ID Law. And this was a critical vulnerability that was identified in the wake of 9/11. And this is really all about elevating identity and document integrity. And so, this administration, this secretary feels strongly that this is an important law to enforce and that really, this is critical to ensuring the safety and the security of our skies.”
Stahl also addressed skeptics of the law, who may be concerned that it could be used to keep a closer eye on the American public unnecessarily.
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“The notion that we are creating some sort of national surveillance system is not true, it’s not correct,” Stahl said, saying the TSA’s main focus is “safety” for travelers.
“This is all about, again, ensuring and elevating document and data integrity to really ensure that we’re ensuring the safety in our skies of our passengers and of the traveling public. So it has nothing to do with a national database. It’s all about elevating document and identity integrity,” he added.
