Maine seeks delay of Real ID ahead of deadline

(The Center Square) — Maine officials are asking the Trump administration to delay the strict enforcement of a new requirement that people show a federally approved ID to fly commercially.

In a letter to the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security, Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and other state leaders formally requested a phased-in approach to the implementation of the Real ID Act, a 2005 law aimed at enhancing national security following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The deadline for all states to comply is now May 7.

The bipartisan group of Maine officials pointed out that while the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles has reported a sharp uptick in the number of applications for Real IDs in recent months, as of April, only 27% of the drivers' licenses issued by the state have TSA-compliant credentials.

They said the mandate will create travel disruptions and airport delays ahead of the busy tourist season, and want the Trump administration not to strictly enforce the law by issuing warnings to air travelers without federally compliant identification.

"We are very concerned," Bellows said at a news conference Thursday. "We want Mainers to be able to get to where they need to go."

State Rep. Wayne Parry, a Republican, said Maine "has every intention of complying with the Real ID Act and is acting quickly to ensure as many Mainers as possible have a TSA-compliant credential in case they need to fly.”

"But the same things that make Maine a wonderful place to live and a popular vacation destination also makes coming into compliance a difficult and time-consuming process," he said. "The facts are that Maine is a very large state with a spread-out population. It will take time, and we will get there. But we need the TSA to give us the time to get there."

In a statement, the TSA suggested that despite Maine's request, any changes to enforcement of the decades-old law are unlikely ahead of next week's deadline to comply.

"The REAL ID Act was passed 20 years ago to address security vulnerability," the agency said. "This administration and (the) DHS secretary have determined that it's important that we keep the implementation date of May 7, 2025, and that we enforce the law."

Under the rules, U.S. travelers aged 18 and older must show a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of identification – such as a passport – to board domestic flights or enter many federal buildings. Air passengers without a passport, REAL ID, military ID or other federal credential will be subject to a secondary screening, according to the TSA.

Originally, states were supposed to comply with the Real ID law by the end of 2009. However, lawsuits delayed the law's implementation and federal authorities have repeatedly pushed back the deadline to give states time to change their procedures and update technology.

Maine was one of the last states in the nation to become compliant with the federal law, and the state is currently tied with Washington for having the third-lowest percentage of residents with Real IDs, according to Homeland Security.

The Democratic-led state has also been targeted by the Trump administration for defying President Donald Trump's executive order on transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports.