“Washington residents expect that the confidential information they give to the government to access medical treatment will only be used for healthcare purposes,” Brown said in a statement. “Their data should not go toward creating a giant database of Americans’ personal information or used so that ICE can deport undocumented immigrants because they had to go to the doctor.”
Washington and Oregon have filed a lawsuit accusing the federal government of sharing residents’ Medicaid records with immigration enforcement agencies.
“The Trump Administration’s use of Washingtonians’ private health information for its own political agenda is outrageous,” Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “This is a violation of trust for everyone whose data was inappropriately shared, but especially our immigrant communities and mixed-status families, who are already being targeted by the Trump Administration. We will stand up for the dignity and right to privacy of all Washingtonians.”
According to The Washington State Standard, the lawsuit was filed in late July by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, and 13 other state attorneys general, all Democrats. In court documents, Rayfield and his colleagues argue that the Trump administration violated federal law by letting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services release Medicaid patient files to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The lawsuit names defendants including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
In a press release, Brown’s office argues that, since Medicaid’s inception, “federal law, policy, and practice has been clear: the personal healthcare data collected about beneficiaries of the program is confidential.”
The attorneys general purportedly only learned about this repurposing of Medicaid through a series of news reports, which indicate that the Trump administration is attempting to use Medicaid data, among other federal resources, to facilitate and effective mass deportations.
“Washington residents expect that the confidential information they give to the government to access medical treatment will only be used for healthcare purposes,” Brown said in a statement. “Their data should not go toward creating a giant database of Americans’ personal information or used so that ICE can deport undocumented immigrants because they had to go to the doctor.”
Both Oregon and Washington are among seven states that allow all eligible adults to apply for and receive Medicaid benefits irrespective of immigration status; under each state’s laws, children without legal status may also receive Medicaid benefits.
“This has a chilling impact on people who need healthcare in our country,” Rayfield said. “Parents may choose not to take their kids to the doctor because they’re afraid of what may happen. We need to protect the privacy and dignity of every person who calls Oregon home.”
Sources
Washington, Oregon sue Trump admin for sharing Medicaid files with immigration enforcement
Washington State sues Trump Administration for illegally sharing personal health data with ICE
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