Noem’s Comments On Real ID Stir Backlash

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Rachel Stevenson
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Ah, Real ID—because nothing says “land of the free” like needing federal approval to visit your own government buildings or board a plane to see Grandma in Boise.

On Friday night, Kristi Noem, current DHS Secretary and former conservative darling (emphasis on former, for some folks), decided to torch what little credibility she had left with the GOP base by proudly announcing that, come May 7, Americans will need a federally-approved, high-resolution digital ID—complete with a snazzy facial scan—to fly or access federal buildings. “It keeps us safe,” she chirped in a video on X. Nothing says safety like federal databases tracking your every move, right?

She also said this:

Predictably, the internet exploded—and not with applause. Conservatives didn’t hold back. The Hodgetwins, never ones to mince words, asked the obvious: why not delay this whole surveillance circus like past administrations did and maybe, just maybe, talk to the American people first? You know, the ones who are expected to smile into the camera and comply?

Others were a little more direct. “Real ID is unconstitutional. What the heck are y’all doing?” Patrick Webb thundered, voicing what most Americans outside the Beltway have been thinking since this Orwellian nonsense was first floated back in the Bush era.

And then came Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the few voices in Congress who still reads the Constitution. He reminded everyone that Real ID wouldn’t have stopped 9/11—and that this whole exercise in bureaucratic overreach is more about controlling Americans than stopping terrorists. Let’s be clear: the 9/11 hijackers didn’t sneak in with fake driver’s licenses from Nebraska. They had real foreign passports, courtesy of some of our “allies” in the Middle East.

And if you thought that was the end of it, hang on. The TSA—America’s favorite airport pat-down crew—chimed in with its own cheery update: if you’re not carrying a Real ID, you’re not getting through the checkpoint. But wait, there’s a twist! If you’re illegally in the country and voluntarily self-deporting, no Real ID needed. So let’s get this straight: law-abiding American citizens need a special government-issued ID to fly to Cleveland, but if you snuck across the border and you’re leaving voluntarily, the red carpet’s rolled out? Got it.

And here’s where it really gets dark. According to the American Policy Center, the Real ID Act is a hydra-headed mess of federal overreach. It’s not just about flying. It’s about guns. And ammo. And maybe one day, cashing a check, hiring a babysitter, or buying cold medicine. If the Secretary of DHS decides that purchasing a firearm qualifies as an “official purpose,” your local gun shop could be forced to swipe your Real ID—feeding your data straight to Big Brother in Washington. Oh, and that data strip on the back of your card? Totally unencrypted. What could possibly go wrong?

We’ve seen this movie before. It started with the Patriot Act. Then came the surveillance state, the domestic spying, the “if you’ve got nothing to hide” brigade. Now, it’s high-res facial scans, centralized databases, and “papers, please” checkpoints wrapped in the language of safety and security. All pushed by the same people who can’t secure the southern border, balance a budget, or fix the DMV.

So the next time someone tells you this is all for your protection, ask them how giving up your freedom, privacy, and maybe even your Second Amendment rights somehow makes you safer. Because this Real ID scheme isn’t about security. It’s about submission.

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