The Trump administration has publicly confirmed that 49 illegal immigrants, many with serious criminal records, received Medicaid benefits in direct violation of federal law.
The revelation arrives amid a tense political standoff in Washington as Democrats continue pushing to reinstate expanded healthcare access for undocumented migrants, one of the key sticking points prolonging the government shutdown.
According to the White House, each of the 49 individuals has since been deported. The group includes individuals arrested and charged with violent crimes, such as murder, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and armed robbery. While federal law prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid, the administration revealed that some states have found ways to use federal dollars to extend Medicaid-like services to noncitizens through state programs.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson shared in a statement to Fox News, “Democrats shut down the government and are inflicting pain on hardworking Americans because they want to provide free healthcare to illegal aliens… Due to previously lax federal controls and Democrat state policies, criminal illegal murderers and rapists received Medicaid at the American taxpayers’ expense.”
White House officials emphasized that the deported individuals were not just present in the country illegally but posed a direct threat to public safety. Jackson went on to add: “President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act is ensuring taxpayer dollars are focused on American citizens and do not subsidize healthcare for illegal aliens, but Democrats are desperate to undo these important reforms, and they’re willing to make the American people suffer for it.”
The release of this information appears aimed at pressuring Senate Democrats, who are currently attempting to include provisions in a government funding bill that would roll back restrictions on undocumented immigrants’ access to healthcare. That bill, if passed, would fund the government through November 21 and potentially expand eligibility for noncitizens to access taxpayer-funded health services.
Democrats defending the policy shift claim it reflects a humane approach to healthcare access, especially in emergency cases. However, the growing backlash highlights a fundamental divide: whether the U.S. should prioritize citizens in the allocation of federal benefits or expand the safety net regardless of legal status.
Democratic lawmakers are losing ground as the White House proves their mixed allegiance to prioritizing funding for illegal migrant healthcare over reopening the federal government.
