Real ID Act Awaiting President's Signature

New York, NY —

A bill to reform the way states issue drivers licenses has passed both houses of Congress and awaits the President's signature.

The Real Id Act would require states to determine whether a person is in the country legally before issuing them a drivers license or id. New York State's Department of Motor Vehicles began checking social security numbers more than 2 years ago and has threatened to suspend hundreds of thousands of licenses. But yesterday a judge ruled the DMV did not have the authority to check immigration status. That decision is being appealed.

It's possible some states will respond to the new law by issuing two types of identification: traditional drivers licenses and drivers licenses for people who cannot prove they are in the country legally.

Those second licenses would NOT be accepted as identification by federal officials or at airports. Another provision of the Real Id Act raises the bar for winning political assylum in the United States.