Washington joins multistate lawsuit against Trump administration for health data released to ICE

Washington State initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration for disclosing personal health data of 1. 7 million Medicaid enrollees to ICE. The data shared includes immigration status, addresses, and social security numbers, raising alarm about privacy violations. Attorney General Nick Brown contends that this action breaches federal privacy laws and jeopardizes trust in the healthcare system for immigrant communities. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, aims to halt any further data transfers for immigration enforcement purposes.

Brown stressed that Washington residents expect their confidential medical information to be used solely for healthcare and not for deportation. This legal challenge is part of a broader multistate effort to protect the privacy of Medicaid recipients. The states involved argue that the data is being exploited to create a database for mass deportations. This case underscores the ongoing tensions between state healthcare policies and federal immigration enforcement.