A contentious data-sharing arrangement between US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been criticized after it emerged that the Trump administration had given ICE access to a Medicaid database with sensitive personal details. The database contains Americans' home addresses, Social Security numbers, and ethnicities, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press (AP).
The deal, which has been labeled as a way to assist ICE in finding illegal immigrants, has come under severe criticism from privacy groups and lawmakers. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) criticized the action, labeling it "the weaponization of data." She brought to the fore that illegal immigrants do not qualify for Medicaid, and hence the move was particularly disturbing. "Trump vowed to target the 'worst of the worst' immigrants, but now is providing ICE EVERYONE's Medicaid information," she posted on social media.
The AP quoted career officials at CMS as having objected on legal grounds to the sharing of the data, alerting that it would amount to a violation of federal law. Ignore these complaints, the Trump administration went ahead with the arrangement, according to reports under pressure from senior aides to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In internal memos, Sara Vitolo, deputy director of CMS, wrote that current federal laws "do not allow CMS to share this information with parties outside of CMS." The pact, however, permits ICE access to location and identity information of persons ICE considers to be non-citizens.
Justifying the move, an HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said the sharing of data meets legal obligations and is meant to stop fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program. She also faulted the Biden administration's immigration policy, saying it has facilitated widespread exploitation of Medicaid.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin seconded that view, stating that the plan is meant to block undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid benefits. "President Trump repeatedly vowed to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries," she said.
Critics contend that the deal undermines public confidence and can discourage at-risk populations from coming in for medical treatment. The National Immigration Law Center's Ben D'Avanzo described it as a "privacy violation of unprecedented proportions," noting the government had been assuring it for years it would not use this kind of information for immigration enforcement.
Although it remains unclear if ICE has yet accessed the data, the potential implications are already resonating. The agreement follows broader efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on undocumented immigration, including arrests at churches and workplaces.
At the same time, the administration has implemented a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, potentially affecting up to 12 million Americans over the next nine years.
