Overview
- U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria authorized HHS and CMS to share six data points with DHS: citizenship or immigration status, address, phone number, date of birth, and Medicaid ID.
- The order applies solely to individuals known to be unlawfully present and keeps medical and other sensitive information off-limits.
- The decision takes effect Jan. 6, 2026, after an earlier injunction that had blocked broader data sharing in roughly 20 plaintiff states.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of about 20–22 states sued in July, arguing the policy violates privacy and chills access to care, while DHS called the ruling a victory for the rule of law.
- Court filings note CMS began providing data to ICE in June and formalized a sharing agreement in July, but the judge criticized the government’s broader policies as unclear and left key questions for further proceedings.