The REAL ID Threat
As of May 7, 2025, under the direction of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Americans without REAL ID-compliant identification are barred from boarding domestic flights or entering federal buildings. This de facto national ID card, mandated by the 2005 REAL ID Act, enables widespread surveillance and undermines state sovereignty, threatening the constitutional liberties of every American.
Introduced by former Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) on January 26, 2005, the REAL ID Act passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on May 11, 2005. It requires states to standardize driver’s licenses into a national ID card linked to a centralized database. Like other post-9/11 measures, it erodes state sovereignty and prioritizes federal control over individual rights.
Sensenbrenner also authored the Patriot Act, which enabled the massive expansion of federal surveillance powers, allowing warrantless monitoring of Americans’ communications, in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
JBS Member?
Sign in with your ShopJBS.org account.
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Digital Edition Access
- Digital Insider Report
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Print edition delivery (USA)
*Available Outside USA - Digital Edition Access
- Digital Insider Report
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically