ICE Granted Medicaid Data Access in Trump Crackdown

The Trump administration entered into a previously undisclosed agreement granting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to personal data of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses, ethnicities, and Social Security numbers, to help locate undocumented immigrants. The data-sharing arrangement, not publicly announced, is part of a broader immigration crackdown intended to increase deportations. The agreement restricts ICE's access to certain weekday hours and prohibits downloading the data. Federal officials justify the policy as a fraud prevention measure, while critics argue it violates privacy norms and could deter immigrants from seeking medical care. The move has been widely condemned by Democratic lawmakers and former health officials for undermining trust in government. Legal challenges are expected from states and civil liberties groups.