BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced legal action Thursday against the Trump administration over a data-sharing policy that allegedly allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to Medicaid recipients’ personal health information.
According to Brown, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services entered into an agreement permitting ICE to obtain sensitive medical data — a move Maryland and a multistate coalition argue is illegal. The coalition has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the arrangement and protect the confidentiality of Medicaid records.
“This agreement is a grave breach of the public’s trust and a direct threat to the privacy and safety of families across our state,” Brown said in a public statement. “It undermines the core purpose of our healthcare system by turning it into a tool of surveillance rather than a source of care.”
The lawsuit alleges that the policy will discourage Medicaid recipients, especially those in immigrant households, from seeking medical treatment out of fear that their information could be used in immigration enforcement.
A hearing on the states’ motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for August 7.
Brown’s office contends that the policy violates federal law governing health data privacy and threatens to increase pressure on local hospitals and clinics due to untreated conditions escalating to emergencies.
Maryland’s lawsuit aims to halt the data sharing and reaffirm patient confidentiality protections for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Maryland is seeking a court order to block federal authorities from sharing Medicaid health data with ICE.
