ICE Is Getting Unprecedented Access to Medicaid Data
10 months ago
- #privacy
- #healthcare
- #immigration
- ICE gains access to Medicaid data of nearly 80 million people to identify and locate immigrants.
- The agreement allows ICE to access sensitive information including home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers.
- The data-sharing initiative is part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on immigration.
- Medicaid, a health care program for low-income individuals, includes some non-citizens like refugees and asylum seekers.
- Critics warn the move could deter immigrants from seeking medical care due to fear of deportation.
- The agreement is set to last two months, with potential for renewal.
- ICE will have direct access to the T-MSIS database, which contains detailed Medicaid and CHIP data.
- Privacy advocates argue the data-sharing violates the Privacy Act and undermines trust in government services.
- The agreement is not classified as a computer matching agreement, raising legal concerns.
- Similar data-sharing arrangements exist with other agencies, including the IRS and ORR.