Axios reported this week that the Trump administration recently moved to triple the daily arrest quota for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE will likely have an easier time fulfilling that quota thanks to a new agreement, which forces the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to hand over information on illegal aliens. 

Names, addresses, birth dates available

According to Reuters, the agreement has not yet been publicly announced, but the news service cited sources who said that it will permit "ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE."

This includes providing ICE with names, addresses, birth dates, ethnic, and racial information of individuals who are enrolled in Medicaid.

However, the data will not be directly downloaded by ICE officials. Instead, they will be required to request access during normal business hours.

Andrew Nixon serves as a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, and Reuters noted that he did not respond to a request for comment.

McLaughlin explains, critics cry foul

Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin provided Reuters with a statement via email.

She explained that her agency and CMS "are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans."

One CMS official who spoke with Reuters on the condition of anonymity slammed the new plan, saying, "They are trying to turn us into immigration agents."

Biden-era CMS adviser Hannah Katch spoke up as well, telling Reuters, "It’s unthinkable that CMS would violate the trust of Medicaid enrollees in this way."

Hunt's plan comes to fruition

News of this week's agreement comes less than a month after Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt sent letters to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Read Congressman Hunt’s letter here: pic.twitter.com/pQqoJ7ApI2

— Rep. Wesley Hunt Press Office (@RepWPH) June 26, 2025

In his letters, Hunt proposed creating a task force aimed at using Medicaid records to track down those who are residing in the country illegally.

"Through coordinated efforts between DHS and CMS, we can develop an effective approach to identify people based on financial data, residence, or medical records, and then take appropriate action against those violating our immigration laws," Hunt wrote before complaining that illegal aliens are imposing "an unsustainable burden on the American taxpayer."