“The TSA’s New $45 Fee to Fly Without ID is Illegal”
Edward Hasbrouck of the Identity Project has the lead article today on Frommers.com, “The TSA’s New $45 Fee to Fly Without ID is Illegal”, Says Regulatory Expert:
On Sunday, February 1, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began charging travelers without REAL ID $45 to fly.
This may come as a surprise, but no U.S. law requires you to show ID to get on a domestic flight—or pay the new $45 TSA fee.
It doesn’t matter if you have REAL ID or not. The law doesn’t mandate any ID….
The REAL-ID Act pertains only to which IDs are accepted by Federal agencies in circumstances where ID is required.
The Act did nothing to legally impose a new ID requirement where there wasn’t one already, such as for airline passengers….
Requiring ID won’t make us safer, but it enables surveillance and potential control of our movements….
If you try to defend your rights and refuse, you may be arrested and/or assessed a “civil penalty” by the TSA. Defending yourself in court or finding a lawyer with appropriate expertise may be hard.
But the law, as written, is clear: You have the right to fly without ID, without paying a $45 fee, and without answering questions. Exercising that right, however, is another matter.