The Trump administration has struck an agreement to hand over the personal data of 79 million Medicaid users, part of the President's effort to "crack down" on undocumented communities across the country.
In documents obtained exclusively by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) agreed to provide demographic and location data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, including names, addresses, and ethnicities, in order to more efficiently track down undocumented individuals living in the U.S.
"ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE," the agreement reads. In response to the Associated Press, Health and Human Services assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said the two agencies "are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans."
Officials have contended that the Medicaid data will be used as a cost-cutting measure to reduce health care costs. But, according to data from the U.S. Commission on Sentencing, more than 90 percent of individuals who commit entitlement fraud are U.S. citizens, and undocumented individuals are only able to enroll in emergency health insurance coverage, not standard policies.
The move to collect information on undocumented individuals through government agencies, anticipated by activists and experts, is fast becoming the largest effort to consolidate Americans' personal data. According to the agreement, officials cannot download any personal data from CMS's databases indefinitely. Instead, officials will be able to access information from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until September 9.
In June, the administration attempted a mass data seizure of personal health information from citizens in states that allow undocumented residents to enroll in state-funded health care. State officials have since sued the administration for illegally exposing the personal information of residents, arguing that the move would have a "chilling" effect on those seeking medical attention and creating a culture of fear.
"By turning over some of our most sensitive healthcare data to ICE, Health and Human Services has fundamentally betrayed the trust of almost 80 million people. This jaw-dropping development proves that the Administration’s claim of using this information to prevent fraud is a Trojan horse that instead will primarily advance their goal of deporting millions of people," said Elizabeth Laird, director of equity in civic technology for the Center for Democracy and Technology.
"Over 90 percent of entitlement fraud is committed by U.S. citizens, underscoring the false pretense of sharing this information with ICE. The results of this decision will be devastating. It will sink trust in government even lower, force individuals to choose between life-saving care and turning over data to immigration authorities, and erode the quality and effectiveness of government services,” Laird said.
The Trump administration's One Big, Beautiful Bill, which Trump signed into law on July 4, includes a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding over the next 10 years — a move that will affect an estimated 11 million Americans and hundreds of rural hospitals. It strikes $186 billion from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding, which benefits 5 million adults and children. And it allocates another $108 billion to immigration enforcement initiatives, including continued construction of a southern border wall, new immigrant detention centers, and logistic operations in the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice.
