Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will gain access to the personal data of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities. An agreement between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security has been signed, allowing ICE to track down undocumented immigrants. Critics, including lawmakers and CMS officials, question the legality of this access, citing potential privacy concerns. The sharing of such sensitive health data raises fears among immigrants regarding access to emergency medical services and could induce widespread alarm in affected communities.
ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE. This access raises significant privacy concerns.
The extraordinary disclosure of millions of such personal health data to deportation officials is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Lawmakers and some CMS officials have challenged the legality of deportation officials' access to some states' Medicaid enrollee data, claiming it undermines trust.
Such disclosures, even if not acted upon, could cause widespread alarm among people seeking emergency medical help for themselves or their children.
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