ICE will get access to Medicaid enrollees' personal information
NBC1 day
ICE Given Access to 79M Medicaid Records for Immigration Enforcement
Above: ICE agents waiting in front of New York City's immigration court July 16, 2025 Image copyright: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This data sharing is necessary to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure Medicaid benefits go to those legally entitled to receive them after the Biden administration allowed illegal immigrants to take medical services away from poor Americans. This is also yet another tool to track down those in the United States illegally and remove them.
Democratic narrative
This violation of privacy laws is another cruel part of the Trump administration's overzealous immigration policy, which also has ICE agents hunting immigrants in workplaces, churches and courthouses. Undocumented immigrants already can't receive Medicaid, except in extreme humanitarian situations, and now many likely won't seek life-saving treatments.