20 US states sue Trump admin: Row erupts over 'illegal' sharing of medicaid data; release targeted non-citizens

California attorney general Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that the state, along with 19 other attorneys general, is suing the federal government over the release of Medicaid data to deportation officials.

The lawsuit claims that the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it handed over the private health information of millions of enrollees to deportation officials last month, reported AP.

The data, which included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, immigration status and claims records, was shared by order of advisors to health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. It covered individuals in California, Illinois, and both Washington State and Washington, DC.

These states allow noncitizens to enrol in Medicaid programs funded solely by state taxpayer dollars. The sharing of data came as immigration enforcement increased efforts nationwide.

A spokesperson for the department of health and human services (HHS), Andrew Nixon, defended the move, saying, “HHS acted entirely within its legal authority- and in full compliance with all applicable laws- to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.”