The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf released a statement pertaining to an extension on the REAL ID enforcement law as a result of the country’s dealing with the coronavirus.
“Due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the national emergency declaration, the Department of Homeland Security, as directed by President Donald J. Trump, is extending the REAL ID enforcement deadline beyond the current Oct. 1, 2020 deadline,” Wolf said in the statement. “I have determined that states require a 12-month delay and that the new deadline for REAL ID enforcement is Oct. 1, 2021. DHS will publish a notice of the new deadline in the Federal Register in the coming days.
“The federal, state and local response to the spread of the coronavirus here in the United States necessitates a delay in this deadline,” Wolf further stated. “Our state and local partners are working tirelessly with the administration to flatten the curve and, therefore, we want to remove any impediments to response and recovery efforts. States across the country are temporarily closing or restricting access to DMVs (Departments of Motor Vehicles).”
The REAL ID Act created minimum security standards for state driver’s licenses and identification cards to be able to board airplanes, access federal facilities and enter nuclear power plants. People without the updated licenses or identification cards by the new 2021 deadline will not be able to fly or access those facilities.
“This action will preclude millions of people from applying for and receiving their REAL ID,” Wolf added in the statement. “Extending the deadline will also allow the department to work with Congress to implement needed changes to expedite the issuance of REAL IDs once the current health crisis concludes.”