Longtime Republican consultant Mike Madrid called out President Donald Trump's administration on Friday in response to reports that the administration is allowing law enforcement to use Medicaid information to attack those they think are undocumented immigrants.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) posted a New York Daily News article to X about the move, telling Americans that they "should be very concerned."
"The latest move by the Trump administration to share personal information of Medicaid recipients with @DHSgov should deeply concern everyone," said Newsom. "Targeting families for their immigration status is a dangerous breach and we’re exploring all avenues to protect their information."
Madrid reposted the comment, echoing the alarm.
"Healthcare data is being used by the federal government to identify the undocumented for law enforcement action," Madrid wrote on X. "If you think this stops with them you aren’t worthy of the freedoms you inherited."
The Associated Press reported that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to hand over immigration and other private medical data for millions of people they think are non-citizens.
"An internal memo and emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Medicaid officials unsuccessfully sought to block the data transfer, citing legal and ethical concerns," the report said.
It includes personal information of those living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C. Those states, and the District of Columbia, allows non-U.S. citizens to enroll in state Medicaid programs using only funds from the state, not from the federal government.
“We deeply value the privacy of all Californians,” a statement from Newsom's office read. “This potential data transfer brought to our attention by the AP is extremely concerning, and if true, potentially unlawful, particularly given numerous headlines highlighting potential improper federal use of personal information and federal actions to target the personal information of Americans.”
