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Only the government could spend 20 years creating a national ID that no one wanted and that apparently doesn't even work as a national ID.

But that's what the federal government has accomplished with the REAL ID, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now considers unreliable, even though getting one requires providing proof of citizenship or lawful status in the country.

In a December 11 court filing, Philip Lavoie, the acting assistant special agent in charge of DHS' Mobile, Alabama, office, stated that, "REAL ID can be unreliable to confirm U.S. citizenship."

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[-] ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org 130 points 5 days ago

"just one more flaming hoop, we promise!"

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 14 points 5 days ago

At least as long as there’s flaming hoops, they’re still expecting people to be able to jump.

[-] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

It doesn't work like that.

We're not supposed to be able to jump through the flaming hoops.

They're too far apart, too narrow, they keep moving, and we're forced to wear a blindfold.

We're supposed to get burnt.

Meanwhile, “the right kind of people” don't have to jump through the hoops, and laugh while watching us burn, without realising that the definition of “right kind of people” keeps getting more and more narrow, and that soon it might be them getting broiled on the hoops.

[-] eli@lemmy.world 104 points 5 days ago

Still don't have my REAL ID, I have my passport. Zero reason to get one until I'm forced to in 2028 when I renew.

Personally at this point I think passports should be free for every US Citizen to get, or at least the card one.

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 92 points 5 days ago

Yeah pretty sure the real point they're saying this now is so that ICE can black bag people with a real ID not carrying their passport. Only a matter of time until that can't be verified too.

[-] eli@lemmy.world 28 points 5 days ago

Oh for sure, no doubt about that. Just like the post office date marking on mail being changed. It's all bullshit the Trump administration is trying to get away with.

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[-] xenomor@lemmy.world 86 points 5 days ago

Fascists will always contrive some arbitrary rationalization to do whatever the fuck they want to do with you. They have no allegiance to truth, logic or consistency.

[-] buzz86us@lemmy.world 28 points 4 days ago

Then why did I just spend $85 to get this ID just to get on a fucking plane?

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

Because not having an ID is a crime. Having the ID just isn't proof you didn't commit a crime.

It's a Heads-I-Win, Tails-You-Lose situation

[-] Curious_Canid@piefed.ca 19 points 4 days ago

There have already been cases where ICE has disregarded Passports. They really don't care what if you're a citizen, so they don't really care if you have proof of citizenship.

[-] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 days ago

They don't give a shit if you have proper ID or not, they JUST wanna punish brown people for not being white.

[-] spongebue@lemmy.world 28 points 4 days ago

To be fair, REAL ID was never meant to give citizenship. Its purpose is identity and lawful presence. I have friends here on visas. They're obviously not citizens, but also they're here legally and have REAL IDs.

For this same reason, people trying to say proof of citizenship to vote is no big deal because everyone has a REAL ID is full of shit in multiple ways.

[-] turmacar@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

* proof of citizenship or lawful presence. Which is supposed to be indicated on the card. Which is supposed to be validated by DHS.

One of the ways REAL ID doesn't matter for voting is that putting a ballot in a box is only the very first step in counting a vote, and there are multiple checks whether it's valid and from person that is allowed to vote afterwards. After several centuries of practice paper voting is pretty thoroughly stress tested. Even if most people have no idea how.

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[-] n0respect@lemmy.world 42 points 4 days ago

So, what can be used to confirm citizenship, DHS?

inb4 "nothing"

[-] Catma@lemmy.world 31 points 4 days ago
[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

I think this is the only one the likes of Stephen Miller want to accept.

Doesn't matter if your family has been here for generations...

[-] Railcar8095@lemmy.world 39 points 4 days ago

Melanin levels mostly

[-] myfunnyaccountname@lemmy.zip 23 points 4 days ago

Skin color. Sexual orientation. Gender. Mental health. Loyalty to an orange pedophile. Those are the only real way to know your citizenship status.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 19 points 4 days ago

A proven record of donations to Trump.

[-] etherphon@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I'm sure none of these assholes had to stand in line at the DMV with a stack of papers to get their REAL ID. Eat a bag of dicks. And of course this is coming from Alabama, can we just get rid of the fucking south already? I'm so done, they can have their BIble land or whatever, just leave the rest of us in peace.

[-] Aljernon@lemmy.today 15 points 4 days ago

"This brown person has REAL ID, it must not work"

[-] troglodytis@lemmy.world 42 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

So is a passport.

Birth certificate? Straight to jail

[-] Alvaro 21 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)
[-] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 18 points 4 days ago

In a December 11 court filing, Philip Lavoie, the acting assistant special agent in charge of DHS' Mobile, Alabama, office, stated that, "REAL ID can be unreliable to confirm U.S. citizenship."

That's not how the government sold Real ID to us when they created it. The whole point of Real ID was to provide an alternate way to confirm your citizenship and/or identity without requiring you to carrying your passport on you all the time.

[-] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 31 points 5 days ago

Why did I go through this bullshit? Enough will never be enough in the bipartisan police state.

[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 12 points 4 days ago

You went through the bullshit to give the federal government a photograph for their facial recognition database associated with high quality identifying information.

[-] Bakkoda@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

A national ID card for surveillance purposes was ALWAYS the objective.

[-] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

Anything to hurt immigrants under trump.

[-] y0kai@anarchist.nexus 12 points 4 days ago

Are we sure Philip Lavoie is a citizen? Sounds French, let's deport him to El Salvador.

[-] tym@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago

Freedom to Fascism by Aaron Russo was ahead of it's time. This segment always scared me and we're almost there: https://tube.doortofreedom.org/w/68CKXrEhwRFCmCunHmktys?start=1h22m4s

[-] SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world 24 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

This admin just lives to make asses of themselves trying to have everything both ways.

[-] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 days ago

The rules and laws never mattered. You just can't ignore it any longer.

[-] nocturne@piefed.social 10 points 4 days ago

I have been unable to get a real id because when I was 8 my parents changed my name. Then when I lived in Maryland there refused to issue an ID using my now legal name. When I moved back to my home state of New Mexico my id used my birth name as it was on my Maryland id. Now I have half my stuff using my birth name, half using my legal name, cannot get a real id.

This year I plan to change my legal name back to my birth name... or maybe something totally different.

[-] sturmblast@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

These people are a joke.

[-] neuromorph@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Eat a bag of ducks and run the ID. Yes its not tied to citizenship. But legal status.

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

That comment section went off the fucking rails.

[-] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

... That reminds me I should probably get my car tabs renewed

[-] HulkSmashBurgers@reddthat.com 3 points 4 days ago

So ridiculous since that was the whole fucking point.

[-] Tronn4@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

Sphincter print ID'S coming in 2026

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this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2026
628 points (100.0% liked)

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