Trump Administration Plans to Share Medicaid Recipients’ Data with ICE Officials

Trump Administration Shares Medicaid Data with Immigration Officials

The Trump administration reveals a plan to share personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients with federal immigration officials, sparking concern across California’s immigrant communities. This sensitive information will assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in identifying suspected undocumented immigrants.

This unpublicized move, involving privacy details of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, is part of Trump’s mission to curb illegal immigration. It’s bound to face legal fights, as critics perceive a violation of federal privacy laws when CMS was directed to send personal data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff expressed their concerns, stating that such actions raise ethical issues and possible federal law violations. They fear using private health data for immigration enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed-status families.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin did not respond to queries on the use of personal Medicaid data by immigration officials, but instead affirmed Trump’s promise to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries.

Undocumented immigrants are not allowed to enroll in Medicaid, a program covering medical costs for low-income individuals. However, states must provide emergency Medicaid, covering lifesaving services in emergency rooms for everyone, including non-U.S. citizens.

A Congressional Budget Office report indicates only $27 billion was spent on emergency Medicaid for noncitizens from 2017 to 2023, less than 1% of total Medicaid spending. Despite this, Trump contends that undocumented immigrants exploit the program.

Hannah Katch, a CMS advisor, and Elizabeth Laird, the director of equity in civic technology at the Center for Democracy and Technology, both view the Trump administration’s plan as a violation of trust. Laird warns that the Administration’s claim of using this information to prevent fraud is misleading as over 90% of entitlement fraud is committed by U.S. citizens.

Last month, the California Medical Association alerted that sharing Medicaid data may endanger nearly 15 million patients and their families statewide. Additionally, the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs in Orange County reported the CMS’s directive to send DHS personal information of Medicaid enrollees.

Jose Serrano, director of Orange County’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, lamented that this information could be used against immigrants, stoking fear and anxiety within these communities. He insists that immigrants contribute more to the economy than they take away, making the misuse of their medical information an unfortunate event.