Trump Admin Used Medicaid Data for Immigration Enforcement

The Trump administration transferred personal data, including immigration status, of millions of Medicaid enrollees to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support immigration enforcement, following a directive from two senior advisers to Acting Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Medicaid officials were given just 54 minutes to comply, despite raising legal and ethical concerns. The data covers states where non-citizens can access state-funded Medicaid, such as California, Illinois, Washington, and Washington, D.C. Experts warn that the information could be used both to locate undocumented immigrants for deportation and to deny green cards or citizenship to those who received federally funded benefits. California Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials condemned the action, especially as immigration raids—now involving National Guard troops and Marines—have intensified. The Department of Health and Human Services asserts the data sharing is legal and necessary to ensure eligibility, but the move has triggered protests and renewed concerns about privacy and the use of health data in immigration enforcement.