A new agreement between federal health officials and ICE gives immigration agents access to sensitive personal data from Medicaid records to locate undocumented immigrants.
The deal includes names, addresses, birthdays, racial info, and Social Security numbers. Officials say it’s meant to stop people from abusing Medicaid. But critics say it’s a massive breach of privacy that could scare families away from emergency healthcare.
The data access runs through September and only during business hours—but it affects all 79 million Medicaid enrollees.
Lawmakers, state leaders, and immigrant advocates are pushing back hard. Over 20 states are suing the federal government, claiming the move violates privacy laws and puts vulnerable communities at risk.
