NEWS: Sens. Schiff, Padilla Raise Concerns of Privacy Law Violations over Transfer of Health Data for Immigration Raids, Demand End to Sharing of Personal Data

California Senators Demand Department of Health and Human Services Identify the Authority Used to Share Personal Information from Medicaid with Homeland Security
Washington, D.C.– Today, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.)raised the alarmon potential violations of federal privacy laws in the transfer of the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that could be used to facilitate additional immigration raids furthering the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda.
California is one of seven states that wasreportedlytargeted by DHS for the disclosure of this personally identifiable data.
“We are deeply troubled that this administration intends to use individuals’ private health information for the unrelated purpose of possible enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed status families. The decision by HHS to share confidential health information with DHS is a remarkable departure from established federal privacy protections that should alarm all Americans,”the Senators wrote.
The Senators today asked DHS and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to provide details and legal justification for how the sharing of data without individuals’ consent did not violate federal law under the Privacy Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other regulations governing the government’s use of personal information including addresses and private health information.
The Senators also demanded that DHS destroy any data already shared to prevent any misuse of the personally identifiable information, and to cease these data sharing partnerships with HHS.
The full text of the letter can be foundhereand below:
Dear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Noem, and Administrator Oz:
We write to you today to express our alarm regarding reports that Trump administration officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ordered the transfer of highly sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to millions of Medicaid enrollees to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These actions not only raise ethical issues but are contrary to longstanding HHS policy and raise significant concerns about possible violations of federal law under the Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and the Social Security Act. We demand immediate clarification of the actions taken by HHS officials to provide DHS access to any such data. Additionally, we demand that HHS immediately cease sharing access to such data with DHS, and we request that DHS destroy any and all such data provided on the terms of any information sharing agreement between the agencies.
According to reports, on June 10, 2025, two senior advisors at HHS ordered the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Medicaid enrollees’ PII – including addresses, names, social security numbers, and immigration status – to DHS, even though CMS officials made clear that “multiple federal statutory and regulatory authorities do not permit CMS to share this information with entities outside of CMS.”  This comes as the Trump administration continues to target noncitizens. We are deeply troubled that this administration intends to use individuals’ private health information for the unrelated purpose of possible enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed status families. The decision by HHS to share confidential health information with DHS is a remarkable departure from established federal privacy protections that should alarm all Americans.
We request that you provide the following information by July 9, 2025:
Authorized access, use, and disclosure of sensitive PII health data are subject to federal and state laws enacted to protect individuals and their right to privacy. We demand that this administration immediately reverse all actions contrary to existing privacy laws and restore trust and integrity to the Medicaid program.
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