FIRST ON FOX: White House unveils criminal illegal migrants on Medicaid as shutdown over healthcare continues. Full report and details from the White House announcement:

FIRST ON FOX: White House unveils criminal illegal migrants on Medicaid as shutdown over healthcare continues.

Full report and details from the White House announcement:

“First on FOX”: What the White House announced
In recent days, the White House has made a series of public statements and policy proposals asserting that illegal immigrants — including those with criminal or terror‐related records — are being enrolled in or receiving benefits under Medicaid, and that this is a driving force behind the government shutdown standoff over health care funding.

Key elements of the White House’s narrative:

Allegation of abuse of Medicaid by illegal immigrants: The administration claims that certain individuals without lawful status have been improperly accessing Medicaid, thus draining resources from U.S. citizens and legal beneficiaries.

Claims of criminal and terrorist individuals on Medicaid: The White House has publicized that some migrants on terror watchlists or with criminal records have received Medicaid benefits under prior policies. For example, in an April White House post titled “ICYMI: Migrants on Terror Watchlist Received Medicaid,” the administration stated that among ~6,300 paroled aliens brought into the U.S. since 2023 who were flagged by the FBI or had criminal records, 905 were reportedly collecting Medicaid — and in those cases, $276,000 had been paid out.
The White House

Budgetary “warning” tied to shutdown: In a White House memo (shared with Fox News), the administration projects about $192.8 billion in spending over a decade if Democratic proposals pass, including components tied to noncitizen health care:

$91.4 billion for restoring certain Obamacare subsidies to non-citizens

$34.6 billion to reinstate a purported California Medicaid “loophole”

$28.2 billion for emergency care reimbursements to undocumented individuals
Newstarget.com

Policy and oversight actions: In tandem with the messaging, federal agencies, especially CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), are being directed to increase scrutiny. CMS announced it would intensify oversight of state Medicaid programs to catch misuse — including generating monthly reports on beneficiaries whose immigration status cannot be confirmed and flagging potentially ineligible enrollees.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Linking the shutdown to “healthcare for illegals”: White House spokespeople and Republican leaders are framing the funding impasse as a moral and fiscal battle: Democrats, they claim, are forcing a shutdown to preserve or expand these alleged improper benefits. In a White House article titled “FACT: Democrats Shut Down Government Over Free Healthcare for Illegals,” the administration argues that Democrats’ demands would channel nearly $200 billion into health care for illegal immigrants and noncitizens.
The White House

Calls for removal of 1.4 million illegal migrants from Medicaid: Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Wesley Hunt (R‑TX), have echoed the claims and urged the administration to form a task force to identify and deport 1.4 million undocumented individuals receiving Medicaid. Hunt’s letters to DHS and CMS argue this represents a massive abuse of taxpayer dollars.
texaspolitics.com
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State-level scrutiny: The White House and CMS have also signaled an investigation into several Democratic-led states believed to be using federal funds in ways that permit noncitizens to receive health services beyond emergency treatment.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Public messaging via briefings and video: The White House released a video of a press briefing titled “Press Sec Briefing – Dems are Keeping the Gov Shutdown for Free Healthcare to Illegal Aliens.”
The White House
Through this and other communications, they are pushing the narrative that Democrats are prioritizing health care for illegal immigrants over keeping government operational.

What is legally permissible now — and what is contested
While the White House’s claims are bold and politically framed, they intersect with a complex patchwork of federal rules, state policies, and factual clarifications. Here’s an overview of the legal ground and factual debates:

Federal law and Medicaid eligibility for noncitizens
Under existing federal statutes, unauthorized immigrants (i.e. those without lawful presence) are generally not eligible for federally subsidized Medicaid benefits beyond emergency medical services.

Emergency Medicaid is a limited mechanism that reimburses hospital emergency care for certain noncitizens who would otherwise qualify if not for their immigration status. This is legally required to avert life‑threatening situations and, in many cases, to cover maternity/childbirth.
KFF Health News

The total federal spending on emergency Medicaid is relatively small: less than 1 % of overall Medicaid expenditures.
KFF Health News

Some states, however, choose to use state funds (not federal Medicaid dollars) to provide health coverage to immigrants regardless of status. That is allowed if done with state or local money, but federal Medicaid reimbursements generally cannot be used to cover services for unauthorized immigrants beyond emergencies.

Discrepancies and scrutiny
Critics and independent fact‑checkers have challenged several of the White House’s specific numerical claims. For example, many of the alleged 1.4 million “