Once again, Democrats are insisting something isn’t happening—while simultaneously going to great lengths to prevent anyone from verifying it. This time, the issue at hand is whether illegal immigrants are receiving Medicaid benefits. According to House Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the answer is an emphatic no. But if that’s the case, why are 20 Democrat-led states suing the Department of Homeland Security to stop them from looking into it?
As first reported by Libs of TikTok, and confirmed by outlets including NPR, 20 states—led by California—have filed suit to block DHS from examining Medicaid enrollment data for potential misuse by individuals residing in the country illegally. The investigation was initiated after federal officials directed CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to share data with DHS, specifically from states like California, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., where state-level programs are known to extend health coverage to certain illegal immigrants.
Not one federal dollar currently goes to giving undocumented people Medicaid and you know that.
What DOES need to be said is that Republicans are set to kick 17 million Americans off their health insurance.
Even GOP Senators admitted this. And Floridians are going to suffer. https://t.co/YTVJKpTnxa
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2025
The lawsuit, announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, claims that the information sharing is an “invasion of privacy” and will create a “culture of fear.” But if, as Rep. Ocasio-Cortez claims, “not one federal dollar” goes to undocumented immigrants, why the fear? Why the lawsuits?
Even NPR acknowledges the reality: some states do provide Medicaid-like benefits to illegal immigrants using state funds, and in doing so, must report comprehensive data—including immigration status and Social Security numbers—to CMS. That data, by law, can and often must be verified for fraud prevention. But Democrats now want to halt that process—ironically, by citing privacy concerns over programs they claim don’t exist.
Your claim that “not one federal dollar” goes to undocumented immigrants overlooks emergency Medicaid, which uses federal funds for acute care— hundreds of millions annually. States like CA also use state funds (often tied to federal block grants) for non-emergency care, a… https://t.co/CUNjUAqaQU
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) July 1, 2025
In short: it’s not happening, but don’t you dare look.
Meanwhile, Republicans are addressing the issue head-on. As noted by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” includes provisions to tighten Medicaid eligibility verification—expected to result in 1.4 million illegal immigrants being removed from federal Medicaid rolls. This is not theory; it’s confirmed policy response to an actual practice.
As of April 2025, 14 states plus Washington, D.C. offer government healthcare to people “regardless of immigration status.”
Seven states (CA, CO, IL, MN, NY, OR, WA) plus D.C. offer government healthcare to adults (i.e., not just children) “regardless of immigration status.” pic.twitter.com/SxKjsa27Pp
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) July 1, 2025
States like California have long offered state-funded healthcare to undocumented residents under emergency or limited-use exemptions. But recent expansions in blue states have blurred the lines, with some programs now covering routine care for adults without legal status, leading to serious questions about who is actually footing the bill and how accurately those funds are tracked.
Democrats want to continue expanding those programs, while simultaneously preventing DHS from confirming whether federal dollars are being improperly used. It’s not about privacy—it’s about plausible deniability.
