New Mexicans without Real IDs rush to MVDs as real deadline nears

A woman stomped out of the Santa Fe field office of the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division on Friday morning, cursing and clutching a thick folder.
About an hour later, another man slammed through the front door of the office in a similar fashion.
They had both been told the same thing: They didn't have the right documentation and — even worse — they were going to have to make another visit to the office after collecting the right documents.
The clock is ticking.
Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005, setting stricter identity verification requirements for driver's licenses and other identity documents used for federal purposes as a security measure in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. After years of setting and then delaying deadlines for Real ID enforcement, the federal government has warned the current deadline of May 7 is the official date when possession of the more secure identification cards will be required to board an airplane and enter federal facilities.
As the date approaches, some in New Mexico have been scrambling to gather their documents to get the cards. The requirements to verify one's identity are more stringent than those for driver's licenses in the past, requiring various approved records that provide proof of identity, age, Social Security number and residence.
Tasked with handling frustrated visitors at the office in recent weeks has been the agency's bureau chief, Ricardo Rodriguez, who on Friday morning was greeting people at the door in a suit.
He said sometimes people have documents with first and last names that don't match, which means they have to show other records — such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order — that provide a clear trail to account for that. The most common issue, he said, is that people come in thinking they have everything they need and they're missing a document.
'Most people are understanding, and their visit goes smoothly,' Rodriguez said. 'But there are cases like that where they just bring mail and feel that it's going to be acceptable, or they think if they're angry enough that we're just going to go ahead and accept it. We can't do that, because we have to follow, you know, statute.'
Rush for Real ID
Across the state, the division's offices have been handling an uptick in customers.
The division issued more than 51,000 Real IDs in March, compared with about 36,000 in March 2024, according to data provided by the state Department of Taxation and Revenue. Last week, Motor Vehicle Division field offices were set to serve about 2,000 more people than they did the previous week.
While the average wait time statewide is four to five minutes, according to the agency, that average has increased to eight minutes in recent weeks.
Rodriguez said it has felt like 'going from zero to 100' in the past few weeks at offices in the region.
He believes the numbers of people will continue to increase in the coming weeks, right up until — and possibly even after — the deadline.
About 80% of drivers and other ID-holders in New Mexico already have Real IDs, Taxation and Revenue Cabinet Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke said in an interview, which means 20% — or about 300,000 New Mexicans — still don't.
'We have to keep in mind that some of them don't want a Real ID, don't need a Real ID or maybe aren't eligible to receive a Real ID,' Schardin Clarke said. 'Some subset of those 300,000, though — we need to make sure we reach them and make sure they're aware. We don't want them to be caught by surprise.'
She said her department has stepped up outreach to make sure New Mexicans know about the Real ID deadline in the final stretch, including news conferences, social media campaigns and ads.
Unlike some other states — such as Texas — New Mexico is continuing to offer standard driver's licenses as well for those who might not want or need to get a Real ID.
She noted there are some who have a passport and might not need or want a Real ID, some who have another type of identification — such as a military card — that will be accepted by the federal Transportation Security Administration, and others, such as immigrants without proof of lawful residency, who can receive a state-issued 'standard license' but are not eligible for a Real ID.
'We don't really have any way to break down that number,' Schardin Clarke said. 'But when someone comes into our office, we make sure they're aware, and we offer them both the Real ID and the standard driver's license, and then they choose which one to proceed with.'
She encouraged people to 'really spend some time looking at our website and making sure that your documents are fully compliant before you come in.'
'We don't want you to spend your time coming in and for us only to say the documentation you brought in today doesn't make you eligible,' she said.
Schardin Clarke pointed out anyone who is getting their Real ID at the last minute won't necessarily have to wait for it to come in the mail to use it if they opt for a mobile driver's license. The mobile IDs can be added to a digital wallet after an application has been approved, and TSA agents accept them.
Most flyers have Real IDs
A news release from the TSA earlier this month stated people who do not present compliant identification such as a Real ID or a passport at airport security beginning on May 7 'can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint.'
There were 10 people waiting for flights inside the terminal of the Santa Fe Regional Airport on a recent afternoon, and all of them had Real IDs. Most had renewed at some point in recent years and opted for the Real ID, although a few weren't sure if they had a Real ID or not until looking at their license and seeing the star in the corner.
An airport security agent said most people who pass through her line already have Real IDs. She estimated about 10% don't, and she said she reminds those people about the coming deadline.
A sign posted in front of the walk-through metal detector reminds flyers about the May 7 deadline, asking, 'Are you Real ID ready?'
The airport's security manager, Jimmy Gunn, said the agency's officers would have discretion over handling passengers without Real IDs, but he said the additional screening process involves calling a hotline to verify each person's identity individually, which can be time-consuming. In other instances, the verification process has taken up to 30 minutes per person, he said.
While frequent flyers have regularly faced reminders over the Real ID deadline for years now, he said, the occasional infrequent flyer — or someone who has a 10-year driver's license and hasn't had to renew in years — could cause delays for everyone.
'That's what these guys are worried about,' Gunn said, referring to the airport's security guards. 'We're small — we don't get that much traffic, but like the [Albuquerque] Sunport or these bigger airports, it could slow them way down.'

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Los Angeles Times

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With 40,000 troops in the region, U.S. braces for response as Iran weighs its options

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As the dust settled, the sun rose and satellite imagery emerged of the wreckage, the main question among Trump administration officials became how Tehran would respond — both militarily, against U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf and around the world, as well as with the remnants of its nuclear program, with so much of it destroyed. Tehran's nuclear-armed allies, in Russia and North Korea, have been critical of the military campaign, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev raising the prospect of Moscow giving Iran a nuclear warhead in response to the attacks. The Israeli official dismissed that idea, alluding to direct talks with Moscow over the Iranian program. 'We are not concerned,' the official said. Trump's military action, dubbed 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' was a contingency years in the making, prepared and much feared by Trump's predecessors over two decades as a desperate last resort to a nuclear Iran. Ever since Tehran resumed its fissile enrichment program in 2005, Republican and Democratic presidents alike have warned that the Islamic Republic could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. But a constellation of diplomatic talks and complex agreements have failed to dissuade Tehran from a fundamental principle of a 'right to enrich' uranium — near to weapons grade — on its own soil. Despite the dramatic nature of the U.S. air raid, few in Washington expressed an appetite for a prolonged U.S. war with Iran and echoed Israel's interest in a truce after assessing its initial operations a success. Vice President JD Vance denied that the United States was 'at war' with Iran on Sunday, telling CBS that the nation is, instead, 'at war with Iran's nuclear program.' 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The U.S. operation followed an Israeli campaign that began last week with strikes against Iranian air defenses and nuclear facilities, scientists and research facilities, as well as against military generals, ballistic missile launch pads and storage depots. While the United States and Israel believe that Saturday's strikes were a strategic victory, some concern remains that Iran may have removed critical equipment and materiel from its site in Fordow — an enrichment facility that had been burrowed into the side of a mountain — to an undisclosed location before the U.S. operation began, the Israeli official said. 'That remains a question mark,' the official added, while expressing confidence that Israeli intelligence would be aware of any other significant nuclear facilities. Addressing the nation on the attacks on Saturday night, Trump warned Iran that U.S. attacks could continue if it refuses to give up on its nuclear program. 'There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said, flanked by his vice president, national security advisor and secretary of defense. 'Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.' Across the region Sunday, the question paramount on observers' minds was what shape Iran's response would take. Iranian officials downplayed the strikes' impact, acknowledging damage to nuclear facilities but that the know-how remained intact. 'They [the United States and Israel] should know this industry has roots in our country, and the roots of this national industry cannot be destroyed,' said Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, according to a Sunday interview with the semi-official Tasnim News Agency. 'Of course, we have suffered some losses, but this is not the first time that the industry has suffered damage. … Naturally, this industry must continue and its growth will not stop.' Hassan Abedini, the deputy political director of Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, said the three targeted nuclear sites had already been emptied some time before the attacks and that they 'didn't suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out.' 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Fox News

42 minutes ago

• Fox News

'Not constitutional': Congress invokes new War Powers Resolution to reject Trump's strikes on Iran

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Fox News

an hour ago

• Fox News

'Squad' erupts in fury as Trump takes bold action against Iranian nuclear threat

Members of the congressional "Squad" unleashed sharp criticism of President Donald Trump after he ordered a barrage of missile and bomb strikes on Iranian nuclear sites late Saturday. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was the most vocal of all, tweeting several times about the offensive. Responding to cryptocurrency exchange CEO Arjun Sethi's comment about U.S. "elites" being most united by war "especially against Muslims in the Middle East," Tlaib remarked, "Yep and it's so f---ing sick." "President Trump sending US troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of the Constitution. The American people do not want another forever war," Tlaib added in a separate message. "Instead of listening to the American people, Trump is listening to War Criminal Netanyahu who lied about Iraq and is lying once again about Iran. Congress must act immediately to exert its war powers and stop this unconstitutional war." She also retweeted right-wing Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who had commented "this (strike) is not constitutional." Squad Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., echoed Tlaib's concerns about "endless war," and called Trump and Netanyahu "warmongers." "It is the people who suffer the illegal & irresponsible actions of authoritarian leaders," she said. "Only Congress has the power to declare war. We must act to protect our safety and shared humanity." Rep. Gregorio Casar, D-Texas, a newer member of the far-left congressional group, claimed it is "illegal" for Trump to act as he did. "Congress should immediately pass a War Powers Resolution to block Trump from carrying out an unconstitutional war," the Austin lawmaker said. "My entire adult life, politicians have promised that new wars in the Middle East would be quick and easy. Then they sent other people's children to fight and die endlessly. Enough." The most recognizable Squad member, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called Trump's decision "disastrous" and said striking Iran without congressional authorization "a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers." "He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations," Ocasio-Cortez went on, adding that Trump has established clear "grounds for impeachment." Though not a member of the Squad, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., also made an impeachment call Saturday. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., reiterated other Squad members' criticisms, adding Trump "reckless(ly) escalate(ed)" the conflict between Israel and Iran. "Congress must vote immediately on Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Tim Kaine's War Powers resolutions when we return to session." Omar also shared a quote from Bill Clinton, saying prior to the strike that Trump should "diffuse" the situation and that Netanyahu has "long wanted to fight Iran." Rep. Ayanna Pressley, the Boston lawmaker who also identifies with the Squad, said Trump violated the Constitution and risking innocent lives. In Pittsburgh, Rep. Summer Lee said Trump is "acting fully outside of his authority and is once again trampling on the Constitution." "This is an illegal and terrifying escalation. Dropping bombs on Iran brings us closer to war, not peace, and he is putting millions of lives at stake. Congress must immediately pass our War Powers Resolution to rein him in." Lee mocked Trump as "your hypocritical 'anti-war' president who just illegally struck Iran and is putting countless lives at risk." Later Saturday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said the Squad and others crying out about the War Powers Act, saying that courts have ruled it refers to deploying troops, not what Trump has done. "If we are attacked, the commander-in-chief has the authority and ability to protect Americans at home and abroad if we feel threatened or attacked," Mullin said. "He's keeping America safe," he told "Hannity."