ICE New Hit List: 79 Million Medicaid Enrollees
Washington, D.C. — Voto Latino sounds the alarm on the agreement between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security that grants Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to the personal data of Medicaid enrollees. The information that has been agreed to be shared with ICE includes addresses and additional deeply private information that will now be used to target immigrant communities, but it will not end with them.
Voto Latino President and Co-Founder María Teresa Kumar issued the following statement:
“This is an unprecedented breach of public trust that not only violates the privacy of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, but it raises serious concerns to why a rouge agency like ICE needs access to this data. The weaponization of health care data to pursue immigration enforcement is a flagrant abuse of power and a chilling escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts. The administration is creating a dangerous environment where people may decide to forgo essential health care due to the fear that seeking help will put their families at risk of deportation. This is an act of cruelty and it goes against our nation’s values.
“After living through a pandemic, every American must understand that this move creates a major public health emergency, along with risking the health data of every person regardless of immigration status. This administration continues to stress test our institutions and its separation of power by using the immigrant community as a foil to encroach on the rights of every citizen.”
This shameful agreement was brokered in secret, without public input or congressional oversight. The lack of transparency only underscores its unethical and potentially illegal nature. Medicaid is a lifeline for roughly 26.8 million Latinos, with over 50% of Latino children receiving health care coverage from CHIP. They all deserve care, not surveillance.
Voto Latino urges Congress to rein in ICE and investigate this data-sharing agreement immediately, block its implementation, and protect Medicaid enrollees from the actions of the Trump Administration.
We reaffirm our commitment to defending the rights and dignity of immigrant families. Health care is a human right, not a tool for persecution.
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Voto Latino is a civic advocacy organization dedicated to educating and empowering the next generation of Latino voters while working to build a more inclusive and representative democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered nearly two million voters. In 2024, the organization took legal action to protect voting rights, filing multiple lawsuits in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina to safeguard access to the ballot ahead of the elections.