(NewsNation) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will soon gain access to the personal health information of 79 million individuals. This data will be used to locate immigrants residing illegally in the United States.
According to a document acquired by the Associated Press, ICE intends to utilize the nation’s Medicaid database to obtain “identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE.”
Information available to ICE officials will include:
- Addresses
- Birthdates
- Ethnic and racial information
- Social Security numbers
The arrangement between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security restricts ICE officials from downloading the data. Instead, the data can only be accessed during limited hours, specifically from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, up until September 9.
Medicaid is only available to noncitizens in emergencies
While immigrants who have entered and remained in the U.S. illegally are not eligible for Medicaid, every state is required to provide emergency Medicaid coverage for life-saving situations. Some states also make exceptions for children and certain adults.
That means, despite not qualifying for the federally funded coverage, some noncitizens’ information is still available in Medicaid records.
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that emergency care for undocumented patients accounted for less than 1% of Medicaid spending from 2017 to 2023.
Democrats, advocates slam ICE-Medicaid data disclosure
Politicians and immigrant advocates alike have opposed the agreement due to concerns over data privacy and human rights violations.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said on social media that “the massive transfer of the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients should alarm every American.”
Immigration attorney Anibal Romero echoed Schiff’s concerns.
“So eventually, what could end up happening is someone might transfer information about … a U.S. citizen, with a Latino name, and all of a sudden, now I have ICE officers in my house, even though I was born here only because my name is Raul Lopez,” Romero told NewsNation. “So it’s scary. I think it’s wrong.”
Early this month, a coalition of 20 Democrat-led states sued the Trump administration over the agreement.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said it has “created a culture of fear that will lead to fewer people seeking vital emergency medical care.”
“We’re headed to court to prevent any further sharing of Medicaid data — and to ensure any of the data that’s already been shared is not used for immigration enforcement purposes,” Bonta added.
In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agencies are “exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans.”
The White House has deferred questions about the agreement to ICE, but the Trump administration has continued to argue that this type of access is necessary for its immigration crackdown.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
