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The U.S. government is now enforcing the use of Real ID, which requires users to have federally compliant identification to board flights, among other uses.

The Real ID is a product of the Real ID Act of 2005, passed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, mandating that travelers use a new, federally compliant form of ID, not only to board flights but also to enter certain federal buildings.

The enforcement date for the Real ID was Wednesday, though current rules take into account those who don’t yet have one.

Here are five things to know about Real ID since the enforcement deadline has passed:

Can you board a flight without Real ID?

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that people can still board their flights if they don’t have Real IDs, though they may be subject to increased scrutiny.

“Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant at TSA [Transportation Security Administration] checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance, may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening,” the department said in its FAQ section on the Real ID webpage.

If passengers are flying domestically, a passport suffices in lieu of a Real ID.

Additionally, the DHS said: “State-issued Enhanced Driver’s Licenses and identification cards (EDL/EID) are designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and are an acceptable alternative to a REAL ID for boarding a commercial aircraft, accessing federal facilities, and entering nuclear power plants.”

What will the additional screening look like without a Real ID?

While the DHS didn’t specify what it means by “additional screening,” the TSA notes on its website that it “incorporates unpredictable security measures, both seen and unseen, to accomplish our transportation security mission.”

The TSA lays out different aspects of its general screening process prior to boarding a flight, including screening carry-on and checked baggage, “millimeter wave advanced imaging technology and walk-through metal detectors.”

The TSA also notes on that passengers flying internationally “experience a more extensive screening process and should prepare for additional screening of your property and personal electronic devices.”

How can I get a Real ID?

The agency directs people seeking to get a Real ID to head to their state’s or territory’s department of motor vehicles.

The DHS notes that people registering for a Real ID will at a minimum need “documentation showing: 1) Full Legal Name; 2) Date of Birth; 3) Social Security Number; 4) Two Proofs of Address of Principal Residence; and 5) Lawful Status.” Additional documents may be required depending on which state or territory you’re in.

How do you know if you have a Real ID?

Identifying whether you have a Real ID is pretty simple. If you have a Real ID, there will be a star located toward the top right of your ID card.

When do you absolutely need a Real ID?

It’s not immediately clear when the grace period for noncompliant users will end and everyone will absolutely need a to have a Real ID to board a plane.

A TSA spokesperson told The Hill in a statement that the “TSA continues to collaborate with its state, airport and airline partners toward a compliance rate closer to 100% for those with either a state-issued REAL ID or an acceptable alternative form of ID.”

Given the agency has warned there will likely be added screening for those who don’t have a Real ID or another acceptable form of identification yet, users will likely want to obtain a Real ID sooner rather than later to avoid additional screening time.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to refrain from sharing intelligence with Germany’s domestic intelligence agency days after the country’s spy arm labeled the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, as an “extremist” political party.

Cotton requested that, until Germany treats the AfD as a “legitimate opposition party” and not as a “right-wing extremist organization,” Gabbard should direct the U.S. intelligence agencies to halt sharing intelligence with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).

He also asked that Gabbard deny Berlin’s potential requests to assist in surveilling the AfD and review if intelligence agencies during former President Biden’s administration “cooperated with German requests to surveil the AfD or other opposition parties.” 

“Rather than trying to undermine the AfD using the tools of authoritarian states, Germany’s incoming government might be better advised to consider why the AfD continues to gain electoral ground and how Germany’s government can address the reasonable concerns of its citizens,” Cotton, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote in a two-page Monday letter to Gabbard, which was made public Wednesday. 

The Hill has reached out to Gabbard’s office for comment. The Arkansas Republican asked that Gabbard alert the Senate about anything she uncovers in the requested review.

Cotton’s request comes less than a week after BfV marked the AfD, the party that won the second most votes in Germany’s recent election, as an extremist entity that represents a threat to democracy. 

The designation came shortly after BfV’s three-year investigation found that AfD is breaching  “fundamental principles” of the German Constitution. Now, Germany’s spy agency is allowed to increase surveillance and oversight of the political party. 

“Central to our assessment is the ethnically and ancestrally defined concept of the people that shapes the AfD, which devalues entire segments of the population in Germany and violates their human dignity,” BfV said, adding that the “concept is reflected in the party’s overall anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance.”

The move received strong pushback from top Trump officials over the weekend. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also now serves as national security adviser, slammed the spy agency and claimed that the development does not equal “democracy — it’s tyranny in disguise.” 

“What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD — which took second in the recent election — but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes,” Rubio said on Friday, urging Germany to “reverse course.”

Vice President Vance, who met with party leader Alice Weidel in February, praised the AfD as the “most popular party in Germany, and by far the most representative of East Germany. Now the bureaucrats try to destroy it.”  

“The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt — not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment,” Vance said Saturday.

Germany’s foreign ministry pushed back on Rubio’s statement, arguing the decision came after a “thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law.”

“It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped,” the office added on the social media platform X.

The Trump administration is exploring deporting migrants to Libya, multiple outlets reported Wednesday, the latest move as the White House eyes a series of foreign locations for removals.

According to Reuters, which first reported the news, U.S. military planes could fly migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday.

The nationality of those who would be removed or what conditions they would face upon arrival.

The Trump administration has been criticized for sending Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, where it argued they cannot be reached once they are no longer in U.S. custody.

It has also sent migrants from countries like Iran and China to Panama, where they were initially held in a hotel for several days.

The State Department offers a bleak assessment of Libya, rating it as a “Level 4: Do not travel” country due to “crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.”

A 2023 State Department report on human rights in the country described migrant detention facilities in Libya as rife with “severe overcrowding, insufficient access to toilets and washing facilities, malnourishment, lack of potable water, and spread of communicable diseases.”

It also said the facilities had “no access to immigration courts or due process.”

The Pentagon and State Department referred The Hill to the White House for comment, which did not respond.

The Libyan embassy in Washington, D.C. did not respond to request for comment, but a Libyan official denied that the matter was discussed when approached by CNN last week.

“Deporting migrants to Libya was never discussed. This did not happen. Everything we talked about was as published on the official agenda,” the source told the outlet.

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously broadcast plans for the U.S. to secure partners abroad 

“We are working with other countries to say: We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings, will you do this as a favor to us,” Rubio said last Wednesday during a cabinet meeting.

“And the further away from America, the better.”

The White House sees foreign deportation both as a way to swiftly remove migrants and as a deterrent to those who might otherwise seek to come to the U.S.

In court, it’s argued it has no way to secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador despite an order from a judge barring him from being deported there.

Rwandan officials have also said they are in discussions with the Trump administration to accept deportees.

“It is true that we are in discussions with the United States,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said during an interview with RwandaTV.

“These talks are still ongoing, and it would be premature to conclude how they will unfold,” he added.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended President Trump’s immigration policies and plans for deep cuts at her agency in her first appearance before lawmakers since being confirmed.

Noem, appearing before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, was grilled by House Democrats over planned cuts for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Trump’s skinny budget proposes $646 million in cuts to FEMA it argues fund “equity” in disaster response and also proposes shuttering the disinformation offices and programs at CISA.

“The president has indicated he wants to eliminate FEMA as it exists today, and to have states have more control over their emergency management response. He wants to empower local governments and support them and how they respond to their people,” Noem said amid questioning from lawmakers.

But Democrats defended FEMA over what it called baseless attacks by the GOP.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the committee, said dismantling the agency would mean “the federal government is abdicating its commitment to the American people.” She also raised concerns about grant funding being withheld for political reasons and leaving people “stranded due to political discord.”

“With all due respect, where is the evidence of the failure of FEMA,” DeLauro said during an exchange with Noem.

“It would appear that the administration overall … they’re looking at dismantling the federal government,” she added. “The states will never have the amount of money, because the federal government isn’t going to pass that money to the states to be able to deal with what happens.”

Noem said the agency still has unpaid claims from Hurricane Katrina and other disasters stretching back eight years or more. 

She also nodded to the case of a FEMA supervisor who told employees not to go to houses with Trump signs who was later fired, saying the agency was picking “winners and losers.” But DeLauro shot back that the instance was limited to one employee and was not FEMA policy.

Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) called actions at FEMA “another example of mis-budgeting.”

“You, first of all, collectively, have directed very incorrect and outright mean criticism at FEMA, which is just undeserved by FEMA. And it’s time to put the political campaign behind us and acknowledge that FEMA is doing a good job,” he said.

“We don’t need this and, further, we certainly need to fund them adequately.”

He also slammed 20 percent cuts to CISA.

“Your budget also ignores and even attacks other critical functions of [the Department of Homeland Security], the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, which I think we would all agree is critical to direct national defense, but also civilian infrastructure, which is the most exposed right now,” he said.

Immigration policy will largely be handled through the House Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation bill, but under questioning from Republicans, Noem defended some $45 billion in the budget for border wall construction.

Noem said the wall won’t just be steel structures but will also be buoys across rivers and concertina wire as well as additional cameras in places where fencing and other structures are not possible.

“So the diversity of what happens is incredibly important,” he said. “We’re going to continue to move forward with putting up that infrastructure because it does slow down traffic. It sends a message.”

Noem also said that even with the change in leadership, the department has had some issues deporting people as swiftly as she would like to.

“There are some countries that are still refusing to take their own citizens, and I would reiterate that every single country has a responsibility to take their citizens back,” Noem said without specifying.

“Many of the countries, today, even as they are working with us, aren’t taking their citizens home very quickly. They may limit us to one or two planes a week.”

Noem also came under fire from Democrats for an ad campaign thanking Trump for closing the border, with the contracts for producing the ads swiftly awarded to GOP firms associated with former Trump staffers.

“This is a $200 million ad campaign, taking the money from [Customs and Border Protection] and [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] to promote a political advantage. It’s really kind of the height of arrogance,” DeLauro said.

“You’re looking for more money from us to do that, but you’re going to take a portion of the money that we have given you and you’re going to spend it on political advertising,” she added.

“I mean, that really is — in Yiddish, the word is chutzpah.”

Noem said the contracts were awarded following guidelines and defended the need for the messaging.

“President Trump was very clear from the very beginning that he recognized that the fake news in this country was not going to tell the truth of  what the work had been done at the border to secure this country,” she said.

“And these ads aren’t only playing in the United States. They’re playing in other countries where we had the largest invasion coming into this country from.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Monday proposed an alternative to a $1,000 offer from the Trump administration to migrants if they “self-deport” via an app. 

“Why don’t we make them pay a $5k fine, go through a background check and give them a work visa for a few years, renewable with good behavior,” Gallego said in a post on the social platform X in response to another post from The Associated Press about the offer.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the $1,000 offer on Monday, describing the funds as a way to “facilitate travel back to their home country,” which will be paid upon confirmation via the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app that they have returned.

“Self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the U.S. and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the department said in a previous press release.

“Illegal aliens submitting their intent to voluntarily self-deport in CBP Home will also be deprioritized for detention and removal ahead of their departure as long as they demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure,” the DHS continued.

Gallego on Monday replied to some X users who commented on his alternative proposal.

“Let me get this straight: you’re telling people who are following the legal path to citizenship that you want illegal immigrants to pay $5,000 to skip the line—even though they broke the law. Got it,” one user said in response to the proposal.

“Work visa is not [citizenship],” Gallego replied.

Another user stated that “the fine should be higher,” to which Gallego said, “It can be higher. It just needs to work able.”

The Hill has reached out to the DHS for comment. 

The deadline for Americans to obtain a Real ID is set to arrive Wednesday after years of delays.

Starting Wednesday, driver’s licenses that are not Real ID compliant will not be adequate identification to travel on domestic flights and access certain federal facilities, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The policy change comes from recommendations made in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

But with the policy about to be in place, many are still without these IDs and are scrambling to quickly secure one.

Here’s what you need to know about the Real ID deadline:

What is a Real ID?

The Real ID, unlike other forms of identification that people may carry such as some driver’s licenses, has certain security features that better help the federal government detect fraudulent identities.

One defining feature of these IDs that can tell people if theirs is a Real ID is a star in the upper right corner of the card. Otherwise, these IDs will mostly look the same as a driver’s license.

Being able to easily board a commercial domestic flight is the most widespread use that people will have for these IDs, as a non-Real ID driver’s license will no longer be enough to have access starting Wednesday. They would also grant access to certain federal facilities such as those for federal agencies.

But activities such as accessing museums that don’t require identification or hospitals and participating in law enforcement proceedings are excluded from this requirement.

Why is the government requiring them?

After 9/11, the 9/11 Commission crafted a report with a range of recommendations for the federal government to implement to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future.

Former President George W. Bush signed the bipartisan Real ID Act into law in 2005, following the commission’s recommendation. The legislation set requirements for what information a person must provide to their state before being issued a driver’s license or another form of identification and what information must be included on the card they receive.

States are also required to verify the information that an applicant gives them before issuing the card.

The federal government is not forming any national database based on this information, as states, territories and districts still issue their own licenses, maintain their own records and determine who has access to those records. But the Real ID requirements make the public’s identification documents more consistent nationwide and secure, according to the DHS.

How do I get a new ID?

All 50 states, five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., are issuing Real ID cards. People can apply for and claim them at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices near where they live.

The DHS says people should visit their DMV website to learn what documentation is required to receive a Real ID. At minimum, applicants will need to show documentation of their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two pieces of proof of their principal address and lawful status in the country.

A person’s first application for a Real ID must be done in person, but subsequent renewals later will be allowed to be done online.

What happens if I don’t have one?

While people are not actually required to obtain a Real ID for their daily lives, having one will make commercial domestic air travel and accessing those federal facilities considerably easier. Still, work-arounds do exist for those who are unable to receive one before the deadline or who choose not to.

A passport, already required for international flights, will continue to also be accepted on domestic flights. Other accepted forms of identification include permanent resident cards, foreign government-issued passports and Enhanced Driver’s Licenses that Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont issue, even though most do not contain the star.

The DHS warns that those who don’t have a Real ID or an acceptable alternative starting Wednesday could face additional delays and screenings and possibly not be permitted past a security checkpoint.

How many people currently have one?

States have offered Real IDs at DMV offices for years, but many still don’t have them. The deadline was repeatedly delayed, most recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A CBS News analysis conducted last month found less than 50 percent of IDs in at least 17 states were compliant with the requirements. Thirty states were less than 70 percent compliant, the outlet reported.

New Jersey had the lowest compliance rate, at just 17 percent of all IDs. The state also has one of the highest percentages of residents with passports, so many have an alternative, but it is rolling out additional appointment availabilities this month to give more people an opportunity to obtain a real ID.

The Transportation Security Administration reported last month that 81 percent of travelers at its checkpoints present an acceptable form of identification, including Real IDs. The agency said it expects the number of passengers obtaining these IDs to “steadily increase” and plans to continue additional security measures for those without them until it is no longer considered a “security vulnerability.”

President Trump confirmed late Sunday that deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller is at the top of his list of possible contenders to permanently fill the role of national security adviser.

“Stephen Miller is at the top of the totem pole. I think he sort of indirectly already has that job,” Trump told NewsNation’s Libbey Dean aboard Air Force One when asked whether Miller was under consideration for the post.

“He’s a very valued person in the administration,” Trump said.

Trump added that his timeline to pick a replacement is “within six months.”

Trump last week reassigned former national security adviser Mike Waltz to be his new nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. At the same time, he tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio to serve as national security adviser on an interim basis.

Axios reported Friday that Miller was “gathering buzz” in Washington amid the search for Waltz’s replacement.

Miller has been a leading force in Trump’s immigration crackdown, as the president’s homeland security adviser, and is often a public face of the administration’s most divisive deportation actions.

Becoming national security adviser would mark a significant shift for Miller within Trump’s inner circle.

Miller was part of a Signal group chat that inadvertently included The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg. In that discussion, Miller effectively shut down debate among top officials over Trump’s plans to attack Houthi rebels threatening Red Sea shipping lanes.

President Trump confirmed Sunday that he offered to send troops into Mexico, but said the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is terrified of the cartels.

A day earlier, Sheinbaum had said she rejected an offer from Trump for American troops to be shipped south of the border for the purpose of combating drug trafficking. 

“And do you know what I told him? No, President Trump,” she said. “The territory cannot be violated. Sovereignty cannot be sold. Sovereignty is cherished and defended.”

Republicans have long floated the idea of U.S. military intervention in Mexican territory, a suggestion vehemently rejected by multiple Mexican administrations.

In February, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise by designating several Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. Members of his administration have also talked about potential drone strikes on the groups.

“Mexico is saying that I offered to send U.S. troops into Mexico to take care of the cartel, she wants to know, is that true?” he said back to a reporter Sunday on Air Force One, later adding that “it’s true.”

Trump said Sheinbaum is “so afraid of the cartel she can’t walk,” but added that he believes the Mexican president is “a lovely woman.”

“She is so afraid of the cartels she can’t even think straight,” he added.

The Hill has reached out the Mexican government for a response.

Sheinbaum said Saturday that U.S. military action inside Mexico is both unacceptable and “not necessary.”

“We can collaborate. We can work together. But you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army in our territory,” she said.

Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on Mexico earlier in the year over an argument that is not doing enough to stop fentanyl from coming into the U.S. However, a significant amount of goods covered under a prior trade agreement are exempted from the levies.

President Trump said Sunday that he is ordering the reopening of the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the historic prison offshore from San Francisco that closed more than 60 years ago.

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets. That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” he added.

The island, which sits less than 2 miles offshore, was first developed in the mid-19th century, with the original structures including a lighthouse.

Notable figures including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly were once held at Alcatraz, which was a federal prison from 1934-63. The National Park Service, which now oversees its facilities, describes the prison as “the federal government’s response to post-Prohibition, post-Depression America.”

“Both the institution and the men confined within its walls reflect our society during this era,” the National Park Service adds on a web page about the prison, which was also known as The Rock and gave that name to a popular Michael Bay action film set on the island.

In his Sunday post, Trump said Alcatraz’s “reopening” is going to “serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

“We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added.

The Bureau of Prisons notes on its website that “USP [United States Penitentiary] Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation” due to soaring costs.

“An estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open. That figure did not include daily operating costs — Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison,” the bureau says.