Anger Rising Over Trump Admin’s Mandatory ‘REAL ID’ for Domestic Flights; Here’s Why It’s Happening NOW

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May 7th is the deadline for getting a ‘REAL ID’ if you plan on boarding a domestic flight inside the United States.

Your average state-issued drivers’ license, U.S. passport, or otherwise official forms of ID will no longer get you on the plane.

And not all conservatives are happy about it — even those who generally support President Trump and the agenda he rode in on.

There are two main questions that present themselves:

  1. What is the argument for enforcing this 20-year-old GW Bush law?
  2. And… WHY NOW?

First, here’s the video put out by DHS and shared by Secretary Noem on her X account, nailing down May 7th as the deadline:

Here’s the full screen video player for easier viewing:

On the surface, this sounds like a great idea.  After all, it’s a bedrock policy for conservatives that you should have to show a valid ID to vote — so why not boarding an airplane?

But it isn’t that simple, and there is a definite lack of consensus among conservatives over whether or not mandating a ‘REAL ID’ for travel and accessing some federal buildings is a good thing.

The argument in favor is simple; security and safety, as Secretary Noem lined out in that video.

And though the deadline for enforcing the REAL ID has been pushed out for two decades, the Trump Administration has decided it is a key tool in their toolbox for defeating the problem of illegals traveling around freely within the United States.

The Trump Administration argues that enforcing a mandatory REAL ID to board domestic flights will close that vulnerability, at least in terms of air travel, according to Fox News:

Although the REAL ID deadline has been pushed numerous times, the Department of Homeland Security says stopping illegal immigration is a major reason why it’s holding firm to the current May 7 deadline.

In a memo exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, the department said part of the reason REAL ID will be enforced is to prevent those in the country illegally from flying – unless they are looking to self-deport on an international flight.

“Under Biden, illegal aliens used non-compliant IDs from sanctuary cities to board flights, but REAL ID’s higher security standards make it nearly impossible to forge legitimate documents, ensuring only verified travelers can fly,” the memo states.

“This closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks,” the memo continues.

The agency emphasized that the measure prevents people in the country illegally from traveling within the U.S.

“DHS and TSA are clear, the only place an illegal alien should be flying is home. Under Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, illegal aliens will be barred from domestic flights, with one exception: illegal aliens self-deporting on international flights will be allowed to board without a REAL ID, encouraging their exit from the U.S.,” it states.

Some have opposed the enforcement of REAL ID, which many people have gotten over the years if their license has a star or flag on it, for example.

“As long as the pilot’s door is locked and no one has weapons, why do you care that someone who flies has government permission?” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., tweeted on Monday. “Real ID provides no benefit, yet presents a serious risk to freedom. If a person can’t be trusted to fly without weapons, why are they roaming free?”

But as Rep. Thomas Massie was quoted, there are really good arguments against this increased burden for traveling freely around our own country.

Isn’t the potential for governmental overreach in the future enough to cause liberty-loving Americans to look for ALTERNATIVE safety measures?

I am all for deporting every single person who is in this country illegally.  But I don’t see that instituting an RFID-outfitted national ID is important enough to that end to risk the possible (or likely…) abuse.

Conservatives are definitely not united in their support of the Trump Administration’s intended use of this GW Bush-era law, and the draconian surveillance it conjures up in many of our minds.

Ron Paul was one of the first to speak out against the REAL ID bill, which passed alongside the Patriot Act back in the day.

Here’s a clip of his warnings from that time, which I find reasonable and even more timely today than when he originally made them:

Pushback on social media has matched that from within conservative circles in DC.

One X user pointed out that REAL ID doesn’t technically guarantee U.S. citizenship to begin with:

And some of us share the sentiment summed up in the following post:

Though, that is far from an excuse for allowing government’s overreach to extend even further, even if it is true.

While I strongly assume those often mentioned ‘lists’ exist, and my own name is likely on one, I nevertheless loath the idea of what does indeed amount to a national ID.

There has to be a better way to limit the mobility of illegals inside the United States without burdening American citizens with excessive surveillance and restrictions on our movement.

As the Republican Representative from New Hampshire pointed out, this is likely a violation of the 14th Amendment in its’ restriction of movement between states, as reported in a more recent Fox News story than previously referenced:

Conservatives are speaking out against the Trump administration’s plans to finally enact long-expected REAL ID laws in a bid to crack down on illegal immigration.

“If you think REAL ID is about election integrity, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X earlier this week.

Responding to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s video announcing the May 7 REAL ID deadline, the former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin questioned in a lengthy post: “Or what?? Evidently, existing ID requirements for American citizens just aren’t adequate now, so Big Brother is forcing us through more hoops for the ‘right’ to travel within our own country.”

The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005, but the federal government has yet to implement it 20 years later. It requires all U.S. travelers to be REAL ID compliant when boarding domestic flights.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced last week that REAL ID would go into effect May 7, and that no other state-issued ID cards would be accepted for air travel.

Massie argued in an X post, “As long as the pilot’s door is locked and no one has weapons, why do you care that someone who flies has government permission? REAL ID provides no benefit, yet presents a serious risk to freedom. If a person can’t be trusted to fly without weapons, why are they roaming free?”

“REAL ID is a 2005 George Bush-era Patriot Act overreach that went completely unenforced until Trump got into office. Let me guess: he’s playing 4D chess and I should just go along with it?” Massie wrote.

Former presidential candidate and ex-House Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, wrote on X, “Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem announced Friday that the notorious PATRIOT Act-era REAL ID scheme would go into effect at the end of the month. REAL ID is one of the greatest threats to Americans’ civil liberties in decades.”

New Hampshire state Rep. Joe Alexander, a Republican, added on the accusations, calling REAL ID a “violation of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution,” and writing, “the Federal Government should not be mandating ID for its citizens to travel between states. Just say NO.”

The DHS has argued that implementing REAL ID now will help the Trump administration further its goals in cracking down on illegal immigration.

A DHS memo obtained by Fox News Digital earlier this week argued in favor of its implementation, that REAL ID “closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks.”

It doesn’t sound like the Trump Administration is going to change their minds about using this 2005 law.

And maybe that’s a good thing.

Maybe it’s actually better that the broad spectrum of Trump-supporters, of which I consider myself solidly one of them, disagree from time to time.

One of the most often repeated attacks from the Democrats is that Trump-supporters are blind followers, willing to carry the MAGA flag dependent solely on President Trump’s word.

I know that’s not true, but I have seen it happen.  And you have, too.

So while this obvious overreach of the federal government is likely to go forward on the push to deport every single illegal, maybe the win here isn’t whether or not the CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLE wins out, or not.

Maybe the win is whether or not conservatives can DISAGREE… and not fall in to the trap of the binary mindset — deifying or demonize based on agreement or disagreement — like so many others.

Maybe the real win here is that we remember it’s OKAY to disagree with President Trump from time to time, and that doesn’t mean we’re trying to thwart his agenda.

It just means we’re principled, and we operate on conviction, and we aren’t ‘party first’ robots — like conservatives have often noted of Democrats.

I’d love it if a conservative ‘light bulb’ would go off, and suddenly everyone in the Trump Administration who was for this would suddenly realize how dated and UN-CONSERVATIVE the entire idea really is.

But I’ll take the secondary win, if that’s what we’re handed.

The ability to disagree, and still move forward in some sort of unity is far more powerful in the long run than a momentary win, anyway.

That said — I’m still going to whine and complain every time I have to show a REAL ID to get on an airplane.



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