SUPU News:

SANTA FE — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday the enforcement of the REAL ID Act will be extended again for 24 months – pushing the implementation date to May 3, 2025.

DHS is citing the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the extension, stating: “REAL ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic.”

This announcement comes 6 months before the previously set deadline of May 2023. 

“It has been 14 years since the original deadline, and DHS has once again pushed back enforcement of the Real ID Act. Since its passage in 2005, the REAL ID Act has been a flawed law because many U.S. citizens and non-citizens have not been able to fulfill the onerous requirements of a REAL ID driver’s license or identification,” said Executive Director Marcela Díaz of Somos Un Pueblo Unido. “The good news is the New Mexico Legislature and Governor Luján Grisham, with strong bipartisan support, ensured all New Mexicans have access to Standard Driver’s License and ID card, which will continue to serve residents’ everyday needs, including the ability to travel domestically.” 

In New Mexico the Motor Vehicle Division is continuing to issue Standard License, an alternative to the Real ID License and which is easier to obtain. The Standard Driver’s Licenses were created under legislation and signed into law in 2019 by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The Standard License is an option for people in a variety of circumstances. Some people have difficulty obtaining a Real ID because they do not have a birth certificate, their names do not match exactly across all their documentation, because they cannot find all the necessary documents or because of their immigration status. The requirements for a Real ID license are determined by federal law and remain the same.