NM licenses, IDs still accepted at Cannon

Visitors with New Mexico driver’s licenses or state-issued identification cards wishing to enter Cannon Air Force Base may continue to do so until at least next October.

In conjunction with a recent update from the Department of Homeland Security, New Mexico driver’s licenses and IDs will be accepted for access to Cannon Air Force Base until Oct. 10, 2017, according to Cannon officials.

“Besides the state identification,” the press release says, “the DoD / military-issued Common Access Card remains a valid form of identification for access to the base. Alternate forms, such as a valid U.S. or foreign passport with a Social Security card or birth certificate also remains accepted.”

Cannon Air Force Base Public Affairs Spokesperson Eric Pilgrim said, “I think the main thing is we don’t really expect this to affect the people who need access to Cannon Air Force Base; this is just an extension that allows people with New Mexico driver’s licenses to gain access as they need.”

What will happen after the October 2017 deadline is unclear, Pilgrim said, but noted the base will re-establish its entry requirements when the time comes.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez in March signed a bill implementing the Real ID Act, but the Department of Homeland Security granted one-year extensions through Oct. 10, 2017, to some states — including New Mexico — that are not yet in compliance with the act, allowing federal agencies to accept those state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 to enact the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”