 "Now, US govt can share immigrants' personal details, Medicaid data with ICE")
A federal judge on Monday cleared the Trump administration to share limited Medicaid data about immigrants with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while drawing firm lines around what information can and cannot be used for immigration enforcement.
The ruling came from the US District Court for the Northern District of California and narrows the scope of data that immigration authorities may access.
What data ICE can access
Under the court’s order, the government may provide ICE with basic personal details held in Medicaid records. These include citizenship status, home address, phone number, date of birth and a Medicaid identification number. No other categories of information may be shared under federal law.
Sensitive medical records remain protected. Clinical histories, diagnoses, treatment details and other private health information cannot be transferred to immigration authorities.
During the hearing, the judge explained the reasoning behind the limits. “It seems like the statutes authorise ICE to obtain that stuff,” the judge said, referring to basic identifying details, according to court filings.
What the ruling does not allow
The decision does not give ICE or the Department of Health and Human Services blanket access to healthcare databases. The court made clear that agencies are still barred from handing over medical files or intimate healthcare records as part of enforcement actions.
In practical terms, the ruling allows data-sharing for identification and location purposes, not for reviewing a person’s health status or medical needs.
Do undocumented immigrants get Medicaid?
No. According to the American Immigration Council, a Washington DC-based non-profit, undocumented immigrants do not qualify for federally funded healthcare programmes.
This includes:
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• The Children’s Health Insurance Program
• Health plans sold through the Affordable Care Act marketplace
Federal law does, however, require hospitals to provide emergency care to everyone, regardless of immigration status.
How emergency care works
Low-income noncitizens who are ineligible for Medicare because of their immigration status may receive emergency treatment under the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
Hospitals are reimbursed through the federal Emergency Medicaid programme, but only for services needed to stabilise a patient facing a risk of permanent injury or death. The funding goes to hospitals, not directly to patients.
Upcoming changes under Trump’s new law
The American Immigration Council says emergency care funding will face new limits under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
“However, due to new restrictions in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, states will receive less federal funding for these emergency services beginning October 1, 2026,” the organisation said.
From that date, Medicaid eligibility will be restricted to:
Green card holders
Certain Cuban-Haitian entrants
People living in the US under a Compact of Free Association, known as COFA citizens
The council added that many previously eligible noncitizens will lose access to Medicaid, including people granted asylum or refugee status, humanitarian parolees, and some survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking who had been granted immigration status.
Who currently qualifies for Medicaid or CHIP
Under existing rules, the following immigration categories are considered “qualified” for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program:
• Lawful permanent residents
• Asylees and refugees
• Cuban or Haitian entrants
• People paroled into the US for at least one year
• Conditional entrants granted status before 1980
• Battered non-citizens, including spouses, children or parents
• Victims of trafficking and certain family members, including those with pending trafficking visa applications
• Individuals granted withholding of deportation
• Members of federally recognised Indian tribes or American Indians born in Canada
• Citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau living in US states or territories, known as COFA migrants