All 50 states and all but one U.S. territories are on schedule to meet “REAL ID” requirements for driver’s licenses and identification cards to prevent fraud by terrorists and other perpetrators, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week.
DHS began to enforce compliance with REAL ID requirements on Monday. Of the 56 U.S. states and territories, 98 percent are in compliance or have received a deadline extension of Oct. 10 for compliance.
The 9/11 Commission recommended security enhancements to state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards to prevent terrorists from using fraudulent identification to travel around the country undetected. Congress approved the REAL ID Act in 2005, which established minimum security standards for ID cards.
“This includes incorporating anti-counterfeiting technology, preventing insider fraud, and using documentary evidence and record checks to ensure a person is who he or she claims to be,” DHS said in a statement. “It also prohibits federal agencies from accepting non-compliant licenses and identification cards for access to federal facilities, nuclear power plants, and commercial aircraft. The goal of REAL ID is to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards used for federal official purposes.”
American Samoa is the only state or territory that was not on track to meet REAL ID requirements.