Sorry for the ambiguity about the location. It was at T4 at JFK. Unless I missed it, it doesn't seem that anyone has answered the question as to whether it is possible that a passport is actually required to pass into a concourse that only has international flights.

The reason that I prefer to show my DL, instead of passport, is because before an international flight, I would rather lose my DL than my passport. I don't worry about their seeing the address on it, because I don't live at that address, so it would be a bad choice of a place to rob. Also, I until recently, I didn't even use my DL to pass thorugh security, because I used by SIDA ID, which usually works much better, because then ID checks usually don't ask questions.

Since the T4 has both international and domestic flight, you dont have to show your passport. I've always use other IDs (including DLs and Library cards and
school IDs.)

Usually the only time I show a passport is checking in and then at whatever immigration desk. It sounds odd that this guy was demanding that you pull out a passport, when any photo ID should be sufficient to clear security.

If he did shove you and call you an idiot, especially in front of other passengers, he needs to be working in a different career field, without human contact. Maybe the zoo is looking for elephant proctologists.