Migrants With Criminal Records Got Medicaid Benefits: DOGE

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said hundreds of migrants paroled into the United States despite criminal records received taxpayer-funded benefits including Medicaid, unemployment payments, and federal loans before their parole status was terminated.

Why It Matters

The claim comes amid a broader Trump administration push to use unconventional methods to prompt "self-deportation," such as classifying living migrants as deceased in the Social Security Administration's (SSA) records.

According to internal SSA documents obtained by The New York Times, the administration used the agency's "death master file" to render affected individuals ineligible for banking and benefits access.

What To Know

DOGE, a department led by Elon Musk with sweeping data-sharing powers, said 6,300 individuals paroled into the country since 2023 had criminal or terrorist records.

According to a post from DOGE on X (formerly Twitter), 905 of them, or 14 percent, reportedly received Medicaid benefits totaling $276,000. Some of those recipients were flagged as being on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center watchlist.

DOGE claimed that in addition to the Medicaid payouts, 41 individuals received $42,000 in unemployment benefits, 22 received $280,000 in federal student loans, and over 400 received a combined $751,000 in net tax refunds. Several also received food assistance benefits, though a final tally has not been published.

Biden-era parole programs allowed migrants from nations such as Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua to legally enter the country under humanitarian protections if they had financial sponsors and passed background checks.

Those admitted under this program were eligible for work permits and Social Security numbers, which can qualify someone for certain federal benefits, including Medicaid in some states.

The White House has since ended the program and revoked parole status for the affected individuals, as confirmed in documents reviewed by The New York Times.

Eligibility for Medicaid varies by state and legal status. Paroled immigrants may qualify under certain circumstances, especially in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. DOGE's list did not clarify whether the benefits were received legally or due to procedural gaps.

What People Are Saying

White House spokesperson Elizabeth Huston said in a statement: "President Trump promised mass deportations, and by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport. He is delivering on his promise he made to the American people."

Former SSA Commissioner Martin O'Malley told The New York Times that using the so-called "death list" is "tantamount to financial murder."

Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: "These claims about paroled immigrants fail basic financial scrutiny. The supposed $276,000 in Medicaid payments for 905 people breaks down to about $305 per person. As a retired planner, I can tell you that wouldn't cover a single ER visit. Anyone who's ever looked at a hospital bill knows that's suspiciously low."

Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group, told Newsweek: "Migrants are eligible to get coverage because they are either working and paying into the system with a valid social security number, or eligible for benefits like any other legal citizen of this country. Am I for criminals receiving benefits? Absolutely not, but for DOGE to suggest that everyone is a criminal until proven otherwise is farcical and quite frankly beneath what it means to be a US citizen."

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "It's important to realize none of this qualifies as 'fraud'; this loophole that allows for paroled undocumented immigrants to qualify for federal benefits is legal through state and federal laws. It's equally pivotal to understand that no one is 'getting a check' from Medicaid."

"This revelation means some of these individuals were able to bill medical goods and services through Medicaid instead of paying for them out-of-pocket. That doesn't negate feelings of outrage some Americans may have over these findings, but rather provides a legal start point for any changes that could come as the result of these findings."

What Happens Next

Critics argue the tactics may have placed U.S. citizens and lawful residents at risk of wrongful termination of their benefits.

Congressional Democrats are pushing for investigations into DOGE's operations and its handling of sensitive data.

"The claim about individuals on terrorist watchlists receiving benefits demands extraordinary evidence. In my financial practice, I've seen firsthand how thoroughly government agencies verify identity before issuing something as simple as a retirement account distribution," Ryan said. "The idea that multiple federal agencies would miss such connections defies everything I know about our financial verification systems."