Judge Allows ICE to Use Medicaid Data for Deportations

A U.S. federal judge authorized the administration of Donald Trump to resume the use of Medicaid data for deportations starting January 6, according to a report by POLITICO.

Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California ruled that sharing certain data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is legal and that the agencies involved “have adequately explained their decisions,” according to a seven-page order.

What Medicaid Data Will ICE Be Allowed to Share?

ICE use of Medicaid data for deportations / PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

The authorization is limited to six basic data points of undocumented immigrants who receive state Medicaid benefits:

Citizenship

Immigration status

Address

Phone number

Date of birth

Medicaid ID number

Medical histories and other sensitive health information are explicitly excluded.

The ruling represents a significant setback for California Attorney General Rob Bonta and his Democratic counterparts, who filed a lawsuit in July seeking to block the policy. They argued that using medical-related data for immigration enforcement violates privacy and undermines trust among beneficiaries.

“The Trump administration’s effort to use Medicaid data for deportations is a betrayal of trust and will discourage people from seeking medical care,” the California Department of Justice told POLITICO.

Legal Context

Judge allows Trump to use Medicaid data for deportations / PHOTO: Shutterstock

The policy had been suspended in August by an earlier order from Judge Chhabria.

The current ruling allows the practice to resume, while maintaining the prohibition on sharing medical records or treatment histories.

ICE and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must submit new policies if they intend to expand the scope of data use.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, described the ruling as “a victory for the rule of law and for American taxpayers.”

The decision reignites national debate over privacy, public health access, and immigration enforcement, as the ICE use of Medicaid data for deportations officially resumes.