By Steve Neavling
ICE will be allowed to access personal information from the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including names, addresses, ethnicities, and Social Security numbers, under a newly signed agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The previously unannounced deal, obtained by the Associated Press, says the data will help ICE locate immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status. It marks a dramatic expansion of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts and has alarmed civil rights advocates and some federal health officials.
“They are trying to turn us into immigration agents,” said a CMS official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The agreement, signed Monday, allows ICE to access the database on weekdays through Sept. 9, but does not permit downloading the data. It’s unclear whether the agency has begun using the information.
Federal law prohibits immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, as well as some who are here lawfully, from enrolling in full Medicaid, though they can receive emergency Medicaid for urgent, life-saving care. That temporary coverage often helps immigrants, including children, during medical crises.
Health and Human Services officials have previously said data-sharing efforts were meant to ensure only eligible people receive Medicaid benefits. But the agreement makes clear that ICE intends to use the information to find people for deportation.
Critics say the move will deter immigrants from seeking medical help, even in emergencies.
“It’s unthinkable that CMS would violate the trust of Medicaid enrollees in this way,” said Hannah Katch, a former CMS adviser under the Biden administration.
