Wait, Is Illinois Discouraging Its Residents From Getting Real ID? You Already Know the Answer.

It’s a fascinating tale, but one that’s not shocking. Sure, it’s not explicitly mentioned in the Politico piece, but even some legacy press reporters are noticing some oddities from Democrats. The next step is asking the right questions. The story in Politico Nightly about a reporter’s odyssey in obtaining a Real ID from his native Illinois raises the question of whether local Democrats are discouraging their residents from getting this new form of identification because they don’t want to make things harder for the state's illegal alien population.

The reporter needed a Real ID to cover a presser from Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. You need one to enter certain federal buildings, which began on May 7, the official compliance date. You certainly need it to fly domestically. The piece highlights how the rollout of Real ID and its enforcement is off to a choppy start, but the portion about how Illinois was actively dissuading its residents from obtaining the new ID reeked of ulterior motives. We know Democrats don’t want this since it could help sniff out illegals, of which Chicago is awash with them. It’s also the next city that’s set to see a massive increase in federal law enforcement and National Guard units to restore law and order to the streets (via Politico)

When a guard asked for my identification. I passed along my non-REAL ID state driver’s license. I figured that would be fine — after all, I wasn’t flying anywhere. Besides, when I’d been in the building a month earlier, I sailed through security without a REAL ID.
This time, though, apparently it wasn’t enough. I showed my Global Entry card instead — that’s the ID card that’s been around since 2008 to ease the entry process for lower-risk travelers. Since I don’t have a REAL ID, it’s what I now show at TSA checkpoints since it’s considered an “Acceptable Identification” by the agency.
But that wasn’t good enough, either. The guard said the identification had to be a REAL ID or passport. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be allowed to pass through.
Luckily, this time around, a department press liaison vouched for me, asking security to let me through.
After nearly being denied entry — and with about 20 minutes to kill before the start of Duffy’s press conference — I frantically tried to figure out how to get a REAL ID in my home state of Illinois. But when I opened up the state's website for REAL ID, Illinois didn’t seem to have the same level of urgency that I did.
“DON’T RUSH THE DATE. REAL ID CAN WAIT,” read the website. “REAL ID is optional!”
It seemed the state was actively discouraging me from getting REAL ID.
As I coordinated with my parents on how to get my passport to Washington on short notice, I had a few lingering questions on my mind: Were the new REAL ID requirements now universal at federal government buildings? Or was the Department of Transportation just an exception? What’s going on — is REAL ID required or not?