Homeland Security chief says travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps

WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as people were waiting in long lines outside of government buildings from California to Chicago trying to update their IDs before the long-delayed deadline.

Kristi Noem told a congressional panel that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements. She said security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday.

Those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem said.

“But people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”

The Transportation Security Administration warned people who don’t have the REAL ID to show up early and be prepared for advanced screening to avoid causing delays.

“I do not have a belief that this will cause people to miss their flights if they take that additional time in," said Thomas Carter, the TSA's Federal Security Director in New Jersey. "I think there’s that self-responsibility of the law that they need to know, give themselves that extra time, and if they do that, they shouldn’t have an issue.”

Across the country, government offices extended their hours to help meet the demand. But despite that, some people waited for hours Tuesday to get a REAL ID ahead of the long-delayed deadline.

Renel Leggett, a college student from West Chester, Pennsylvania, spent hours getting her REAL ID and was not happy about it.

“I’ve been out here for three hours to get one ID when I’ve already had one that should have lasted me until about 2029,” Leggett said.

"You have to do it. But it feels like a waste of time,” she said.

REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that Homeland Security says is a more secure form of identification. It was a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission and signed into law in 2005.

The commission recommended the government set security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008. But the implementation has been repeatedly delayed.

Besides needing a REAL ID to fly domestically, people will also need one to access certain federal buildings and facilities.

In recent weeks, Noem has been warning the American public about the upcoming deadline. In a television ad put out by Homeland Security, she warned that these IDs were needed for air travel and for entering public buildings, adding: “These IDs keep our country safe.”

A REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has a symbol ( in most states, a star ) in the top corner of the card.

In California, about 58% of all driver’s license and ID cardholders have a REAL ID. The state has extended the hours of some Department of Motor Vehicles offices through June 27 to help more people get the federally required identification. Officials are also reminding residents that if they already have a valid U.S. passport, they can use that and wait to upgrade to a REAL ID when their ID or driver’s license is due for renewal.

Lucas Krump was traveling Tuesday to San Francisco on business from Newark, New Jersey, and said he was using a passport to get through security.

“I don’t have a license that is Real ID," he said. “I question the bureaucracy around it. It feels like attacks on everyday people, having to upgrade their licenses and all of their identification for something that really, you know, seems like we’ve been fine without it.”

At the Driver Services Bureau in Jackson, Mississippi, there were no long lines Tuesday, and people were getting their REAL IDs fairly quickly.

Marion Henderson said before going in that she planned to travel to California, Michigan, Chicago and New York this year and wanted to be prepared.

“Even though I have my license, now that it’s required, I wanted to go ahead and get it done” ahead of the deadline, Henderson said.

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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Joseph Frederick in Newark, New Jersey, Tassanee Vejpongsa in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and Sophie Bates in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this story.