Latest news with #REALIDAct
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Your Costco ID is not valid for TSA entry
HONOLULU (KHON2) — If you've been thinking your Costco membership card is good enough for airport security, think again. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently made it clear that Costco cards will not be accepted as valid identification when you're flying. In a post on their official Facebook page, TSA shared: Hawaiʻi residents: Get your REAL ID before May 7 'We love hotdogs & rotisserie chickens as much as the next person, but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not.' This statement comes after a lot of confusion from travelers, some of whom thought their Costco card, which has a gold star on it, would count as a REAL ID. Some of those who engaged with the TSA post even joked online, saying things like 'at least it has a STAR on it' or 'So, you're saying we should bring you a chicken?' But the truth is, a REAL ID is a special kind of ID that meets strict government standards. The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005, and it has taken nearly 20 years for all states to issue these you want to fly domestically, you'll need either a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, a state-issued ID or another acceptable form of ID like a passport. You can get a REAL ID by visiting your state's driver's license office and providing documents like your full name, birth date, Social Security number, proof of address and legal status. You can click to learn more about state issued identification cards and for information on obtaining a Hawaii State driver's license. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 So, while Costco cards are great for shopping, they won't help you board your flight. Make sure you have the proper ID next time you travel! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No, your Costco card does not count as REAL ID, TSA says
The Transportation Security Administration wants to make something very clear: you can't use your Costco membership card as a form of identification. On June 4, the TSA attempted to dispel rumors on social media that using a Costco card is equivalent to using a REAL ID to get through airport security. According to reports, the rumor has been seen on Reddit posts and blog posts. TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said presenting your Costco card to TSA will just lead to delays. "Let me tell you something about that. Whoever wrote that story is recycling old material,' Dankers told SF Gate. "Essentially, what the process they're describing is … let's say you lost your ID and only had a Costco card in your pocket. That would help establish a baseline identity for you. The TSA officer would use that as a starting point to confirm your identity, but they would still have to go through our identity verification process.' Here is the type of ID you're supposed to have at the airport. The REAL ID Act, passed in 2005, sets security standards for issuing sources of identification, such as driver's licenses. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in response to the September 11 attacks. Texas began issuing REAL ID-compliant cards on October 10, 2016. These cards are marked with a gold circle with an inset star located in the upper right-hand corner. If you look at your current Texas driver's license, it should have a gold star at the top-right corner of the ID. Your current Texas driver's license or ID is REAL ID-compliant if it has a gold star in the top right corner. If it doesn't, you'll see the gold star on your next renewal or request a replacement card. If you plan to fly domestically, the deadline to be REAL ID ready was May 7, 2025. On June 4, the TSA shared a post on X, advising people not to attempt to use a Costco membership card of any kind to bypass airport security. A Costco membership card will not count as a REAL ID. According to you can apply for a new REAL ID-compliant Texas driver's license or ID in person at a Texas DPS office. You may be eligible to renew your existing Texas driver's license or ID online. You can still use your current, unexpired Texas driver's license or ID to drive and for non-federal ID purposes. When it's time to renew your driver's license or ID, you'll get a REAL ID-compliant one. REAL IDs work for domestic travel, but can't replace a passport for international flights. Passports are still required for venturing beyond U.S. borders. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: No, your Costco card does not count as REAL ID, TSA says
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Thousands in CT seeking a REAL ID. You'll have to wait to get one and it might be for a long time
Connecticut residents are scrambling to obtain a REAL ID several weeks after the May 7 deadline, with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles inundated with customers and no appointment times available until June 17. 'Our staff is working tirelessly to keep up with the demand,' said Shaun Formica, director of communications for the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. 'If you look at the numbers in the past couple of months we processed nearly 70,000 REAL ID transactions. We are more than doubling what we normally do.' Federal and local airport officials say the implementation of the REAL ID has gone smoothly. Even so, the demand to obtain a REAL ID may require longer wait times at the DMV, according to DMV officials. Formica said the DMV has opened on select Mondays, extended its hours and offered walk-in appointments to accommodate the increased demand during the months of April, May and June in which the DMV served more than 10,000 people. She added that residents who do not have a REAL ID but have plans to travel by air within the next 30 days can visit a DMV location for same day service. Residents who have an immediate need to register a vehicle may visit any DMV office Tuesday through Friday until 2 p.m., according to the DMV. Gary Pipkin, a Chester resident, said he bought a second vehicle several weeks ago and when there was an issue with the title, the seller was told that it could be fixed on the spot at the DMV. But there were no appointments available, he said. 'The sale has been delayed for weeks,' Pipkin said. 'She is sitting with a vehicle that she can't sell to me because she can't make an appointment.' He said he did not see online that there was a walk-in option. He added that he is concerned about anyone who might be living paycheck to paycheck and can't get an appointment to register a vehicle needed to drive to work and as a result the vehicle becomes impounded. Formica said she has received phone calls about appointments for REAL ID and has been able to get people in for walk-in appointments. 'If you are not traveling by air this month, it is not that pressing,' she said. She said the REAL ID has been in place in the state since 2011. 'We are doing our best to serve everyone,' she said. On May 7, travelers were required to present a REAL ID or a U.S. passport to board a domestic flight or access certain federal facilities, according to information from the DMV. The DMV states that without a REAL ID, residents may face delays or may be denied entry. In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act 'to combat identity fraud and create a more secure verification standard for citizens,' according to the DMV. It is the federal standard for verifying one's ID. Formica said that AAA and Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union are also available to help residents with REAL ID upgrades and license renewals. Tracy Noble, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Club Alliance said in an email that 'AAA retail stores saw a dramatic increase in appointments for REAL ID in April and May as the May 7th deadline loomed and we are currently booking appointments in July,' Noble said. 'While we try to accommodate walk-in clients, volume remains high and we highly recommend an appointment as wait times may be significant if staffing allows.' Noble said appointments vary by location, with June appointments available dependent on the location. Daniel Velez, the New England spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, said REAL ID compliance has gone smoothly at Bradley International Airport with a 96.6% acceptable form of ID. 'Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant at TSA checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance and may be directed to a separate area to receive additional screening,' Velez said. Velez said the maximum wait time at the airport security checkpoint was 14 minutes on May 28 and May 29 at Bradley International Airport.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How did the Boulder attack suspect have a Colorado license?
(COLORADO) — More details about the Boulder Pearl Street Mall suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, are surfacing days after the attack. Soliman, who lived in El Paso County, entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The visa is used for foreign tourists' visits to the U.S. DHS further confirmed that the visa expired in February 2023. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told AP News that Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted work authorization in March 2023, which had also expired. On Monday, June 2, Congressman Jeff Crank reported that Soliman had received a Colorado-issued driver's license in July 2024, a year after his visa had expired. 'Instead of turning him over to ICE, Colorado lawmakers gave him a sanctuary pass,' Crank wrote via X (formerly known as Twitter). 'Shocker.' FOX21 News reached out to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which confirmed that Soliman had received a Colorado driver's license 'The DMV has reviewed the history of this individual and confirms that federal law and Colorado law and rule were followed in the issuance of a Standard driver's license, which are authorized under the REAL ID Act and are not REAL ID compliant,' the DMV said. The DMV further explained that under Colorado law, 'if a person provides valid proof of temporary lawful presence at the time of issuance, the DMV will issue the person a Standard Credential. Standard credentials are valid for 3 years, and include a black banner that identifies it as a Standard credential and language on its face that states it cannot be used for federal purposes.' The law, C.R.S. 42-2-506, states that an individual who is temporarily present in the U.S. could apply for an identification document if they had any documents that showed the individual is lawfully present in the U.S. and 'satisfied the department'. DMV law for undocumented Colorado residents changed on March 31, 2025. A Colorado bill signed in 2024, SB24-182, updated issuance requirements for undocumented residents and would allow them to obtain a non-Real ID compliant driver's license. According to the DMV, effective on March 31, applicants would no longer need a Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), proof of Colorado income tax, or printed documentation of Colorado residence for the preceding two years. Applicants would need to provide: A completed CO-RCSA affidavit One proof of current Colorado residential address One form of identification: passport, consular card, or military identification card from the home country 'Colorado lawmakers and our governor gave him a sanctuary pass,' Crank said during a meeting. 'This tragedy could have been avoided.' When Soliman applied in July 2024, the requirements of providing a social security card or ITIN, proof of Colorado income tax, or printed documentation of Colorado residence were still applicable. Soliman was granted a work permit in 2023, according to DHS; however, they did not say how he obtained it. Asylum seekers become eligible for work authorization 180 days after arrival. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Soliman had tried to purchase a gun in November 2024 at Scheels in Colorado Springs. His application was processed through the CBI InstaCheck and was denied. 'He never appealed his denial,' CBI said. 'This denial was based on information from the NCIS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System). He would later be denied a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) through the CBI and El Paso County Sheriff's Office on December 30, 2024.' Soliman is accused of committing an attack on a group of protesters who were demonstrating at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. According to an arrest affidavit, Soliman confessed to committing the attack. He is currently being held in Boulder County Jail on a $10 million cash bond only. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With REAL ID, America Now Has National ID Cards and Internal Passports
I don't have a REAL ID–compliant driver's license and don't plan to get one. I figure if the federal government wants to implement internal passports in the U.S., which after 20 years of political and legal battles is now happening, we might as well be honest about it and use actual passports. So, from now on, I'll enter the secure areas of airports and federal buildings with my actual passport, which is good for travel both external and internal to the U.S. Or we could call REAL ID–compliant licenses, which must adhere to federal standards, "national ID cards." A little honesty is a good thing. "The United States is getting a national ID card," security expert Bruce Schneier wrote in 2005 when the REAL ID Act was passed. "The REAL ID Act … establishes uniform standards for state driver's licenses, effectively creating a national ID card. It's a bad idea, and is going to make us all less safe." The federal government denies that REAL ID means we all now have to carry national identification cards. Sort of. In 2007, after the REAL ID Act had been enacted but in the midst of state refusal to implement the law and popular opposition, then-Sen. Lamar Alexander (R–Tenn.) conceded the nature of the beast. "It may be that we need a national identification card," he commented on the floor of the Senate. "I've always been opposed to that. We live in a different era now." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) still denies that standardized identification documents required by the U.S. government for domestic air travel and entrance to federal facilities are national ID. "REAL ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card," DHS insists in a FAQ. "REAL ID does not create a federal database of driver license information. Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances." That's true-ish, but beside the point. The REAL ID Act set minimum standards for the information contained in an identification card, the conditions (such as citizenship or legal residency) qualifying a person to receive a card, and for the documentation that must be presented for an application. The law also prescribes that information be presented on identification cards in "a common machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements." That common technology is helpful since the law also requires that ID issuers "provide electronic access to all other States to information." Data is mostly shared through the State-to-State Verification Service, which links those different databases. Everything besides that is just cosmetic. That includes the names of issuing states, color schemes, and background imagery. They may make ID cards look different from issuing state to issuing state, but they're all interchangeable, with shareable data. And none of this is going to make us safer—which was the justification for the law. "All but one of the Sept. 11 hijackers carried government IDs that helped them board planes and remain in the country illegally," DHS then-Secretary Michael Chertoff complained in 2008 amidst debates over REAL ID and refusals by some states to comply. But most people with fake driver's licenses don't acquire them by walking up to a Department of Motor Vehicles clerk with a pleasant smile and a note from mom. Instead, they buy them from corrupt officials. "The manager of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office at Springfield Mall was charged yesterday with selling driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and others for up to $3,500 apiece," The Washington Post's Jerry Markon reported in 2005. That was "the second time in two years that a Northern Virginia DMV employee was accused of fraudulently selling licenses for cash." If corrupt officials are bypassing normal bureaucratic procedures to issue fraudulent identification documents, standardizing those documents across the nation won't fix the problem. But it could create the illusion of enhanced security. And it will create that illusion even as all that standardized data is placed in linked databases that actually enable identity fraud. "The massive amounts of personal information that would be stored in State databases that are to be shared electronically with other States, as well as unencrypted data on the card, could provide one-stop shopping for identity thieves," then-Sen. Daniel Akaka (D–Hawaii) warned during committee hearings on the REAL ID Act. "REAL ID may make us less secure by giving us a false sense of security." Yes, government officials argue that their agencies' database security is super-secure. They would never let hackers go browsing through their records for interesting information or for the makings of new identities. But these are the same officials who regularly hand vast quantities of sensitive records to foreign hackers (think of the Office of Personnel Management data breaches) or to aggrieved workers (as with some IRS records leaks). There may, in fact, be nothing less secure than a secure government database. Perhaps the worst part, though, is that national IDs and internal passports as embodied in REAL ID add to the expectation that we must prove our identities on demand to the satisfaction of government officials. REAL ID makes it ever easier to insist that we produce papers containing standardized information to engage in everyday activities. "A national identity system works against the interests of free people and a free society in several ways," Jim Harper wrote in 2018 for the Cato Institute. "A national ID system undercuts the important background privacy protection of practical obscurity: the difficulty of learning about people when records are not created or when data are difficult to access or interpret." The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Alexis Hancock emphasizes that 20 years of delays in implementing REAL ID have done the U.S. no harm, while the arrival of standardized national ID has real risks. Hancock helpfully points to a number of physical and electronic documents that can be used in the place of REAL ID–compliant identification to fly and to enter federal facilities. Passports are on that list, and that's what I'm sticking with. That it's now used as a standardized internal passport and national ID card is exactly the point I'm making every time I'm required to present it so I can go about my business. The post With REAL ID, America Now Has National ID Cards and Internal Passports appeared first on
