The Illinois Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday is opening a Real ID “supercenter” in Chicago’s Loop to meet a growing demand for the document ahead of a federal May 7 deadline.
The office earlier this month added Saturday hours at 12 DMVs around the sate, and last Saturday more than 10,000 Real ID applications were processed, according to Deputy Secretary of State Scott Burnham.
The 11th hour rush has overwhelmed DMVs across the state, slowing the process for others services like drivers license and vehicle plate renewals, and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said he’s treating the situation like a “mini emergency.”
“We’re seeing appointments that are opening up and they’re gone in like milliseconds, and at our walk-in facilities, we’re seeing unprecedented lines,” Giannoulias said. “We’re trying to attack this problem, which actually has nothing to do with us. This is a federally mandated program that we’re being tasked with overseeing.”
Beginning Wednesday, the Real ID supercenter, with 30 service counters, will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 191 N. Clark St.
Giannoulias continues to emphasize that people should consider their need for a Real ID before rushing in to apply for one,. The documents are will not be required either for driving nor to prove citizenship. For people who have no plans to get on a plane anytime soon, he said there’s no hurry on REAL ID.
“Even after May 7, we will continue to issue real IDs,” said Giannoulias in an interview. “As we’ll go on, we will be issuing them forever, so folks would not need to worry about, ‘I didn’t get in. I missed my chance.’”
The Real ID Act, passed in 2005 as a security measure following a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission, aimed to set national standards for identification such as driver’s licenses. Under the initial plan, the ID would be required for boarding flights in the U.S and entering some federal facilities by 2008, but that deadline has been continuously extended amid opposition from states.
Under a January ruling, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, are set to lead a phased-in REAL ID enforcement approach due to fears some states could be overwhelmed by the high number of residents still needing the document. Initially, people without a Real ID would be issued a warning but would still be allowed to get on a plane. DID I GET THAT RIGHT?
Giannoulias said TSA hasn’t been clear, yet, about what the enforcement period would look like.
“We’re hoping TSA moves with a little bit more of a sense of urgency on getting us and other states answers,” Giannoulias said. “For the last couple of weeks and months or so, you know, everything’s been up in the air. So that’s super frustrating to everyone in our office.”
TSA’s Great Lakes regional spokesperson Jessica Mayle said in February that the agency has not released the full enforcement plan because they want citizens to treat the deadline as final. The process of issuing warnings at airports for people without the IDs could also cause delays, Mayle said.
“If we have many hundreds or thousands of passengers without that, that could really stack up,” Mayle said. “I want people to keep in mind that the Real ID verifies your identity. If you don’t have a Real ID, or something to verify your identity in other ways, that could increase the delay to the passenger process.”
Mayle saID TSA administration will clarify its enforcement plan closer to the May 7 deadline.
Burnham says the Office intends to staff the downtown Chicago supercenter with current employees at no additional costs. The office is leasing the supercenter property, which was previously used as an early voting site.
“It’s absolutely unfunded, and we’re pulling it within our budget,” said Giannoulias. “We’re asking our employees to do more. We’re taking resources that we would put into other things and doing whatever we can to handle this demand.”
The supercenter will remain open until May 7, and Burnham says the Office will make a determination on how long it stays open after the deadline based on demand when the enforcement period begins.
After residents apply for a Real ID, they will receive a temporary paper driver’s license or state ID, which Mayle said will not be accepted at airports. An actual Real ID will be mailed within 15 days after the application is made. Giannoulias recommends residents apply for a Real ID 30 days before any scheduled flight plans after May 7.
More information on Real ID requirements can be found on the Secretary of State office’s website.