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ICE will soon be granted access to the personal data—names, addresses, dates of birth, ethnicities, and Social Security numbers—of nearly 79 million Medicaid enrollees to assist in identifying and locating individuals deemed unlawfully present in the United States.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Medicaid is a joint federal–state health insurance program that provides coverage to low-income individuals and families, including children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. Under federal law, illegal immigrants are ineligible for full Medicaid benefits; however, all states must offer emergency Medicaid (limited to life-threatening or emergent conditions) to anyone regardless of immigration status.
What’s going on now: First reported by AP, the Trump administration has struck a data-sharing deal between ICE and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that gives ICE agents read-only access to the personal records of nearly 79 million Medicaid enrollees. Under the agreement, ICE may view—but may not download—each enrollee’s name, home address, date of birth, Social Security number, and other sensitive information.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the data-share is designed to “ensure undocumented immigrants don’t receive benefits meant for law-abiding Americans,” describing it as part of “an initiative to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse” in the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard defended the move, arguing that “HHS acted entirely within its legal authority—and in full compliance with all applicable laws—to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.”
Democratic members of Congress have criticized the arrangement as a breach of medical privacy. Rep. Pramila Jayapal warned on social media that “this is about the weaponization of data, full stop,” lamenting that ICE will wield “EVERYONE’s Medicaid data, even as ICE targets US citizens.” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) added that “the massive transfer of the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients should alarm every American” and called for the policy to be “halted immediately.”
This all comes as a coalition of 20 Democratic-led states has filed suit in federal court, arguing the data-share violates HIPAA and Medicaid confidentiality requirements. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the case, is seeking an injunction to block any further disclosures and prevent ICE from using any already accessed data for immigration enforcement.
