DHS rips Newsom on illegal migrant Medicaid as ambulance costs soar in CA

Exclusive: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cites new data from California showing that the cost of taxpayer-funded ambulance transportation will likely rise by 383%.

The Trump administration is using this horrific statistic to further attack Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom To provide health care services through the state-funded Medi-Cal program and the federally funded Medicaid program to undocumented immigrants.

DHS and the White House have criticized undocumented immigrants receiving health care benefits, especially through emergency services. This topic was the center of the discourse that contributed to the closure of the last government.

“President Trump has consistently promised to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,” Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “To keep that promise then Joe Biden Our country is flooded with tens of millions of illegal aliens, CMS and DHS Explore an initiative to ensure That illegal aliens do not receive Medicaid benefits intended for law-abiding Americans.

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The Department of Homeland Security is criticizing California Gov. Gavin Newsom for offering Medi-Cal and Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants, while new data shows that ambulance reimbursement costs have risen as much as 382% in the Golden State. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“California should understand this principle well now that it had to declare a freeze Enroll in Medi-Cal “For illegal immigrants earlier this year,” McLaughlin added.

In May, Newsom announced a plan to freeze new Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented immigrants starting in 2026.

The Governor of California subsequently announced his intention to impose fees on undocumented immigrants already enrolled in the program starting in July 2027.

The far-left state Assembly debated some of these measures, but ultimately passed a budget that mirrored Newsom’s changes to Medicaid for unenrolled adult Medi-Cal recipients. California’s governor originally wanted $100 a month for undocumented immigrants receiving benefits, but members of the Democratic-led Assembly cut the bonus to just $30.

People in Tijuana, Mexico, look through the US-Mexico border wall at Border Field State Park on August 17, 2025, in Imperial Beach, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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Undocumented adults who are not yet enrolled in Medi-Cal will no longer be eligible starting in 2026.

Since illegal immigrants mainly receive medical aid through emergency services, one area that specifically costs taxpayers is ambulance transportation.

Since 2022, the cost of taxpayer-funded ambulances has risen from $339 per transport to $1,168 per transport in 2024 in the Golden State, according to data compiled by the California Department of Health Care Services.

California has submitted two applications to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that, if approved, would increase ambulance transportation to $1,597 in 2025 and $1,637 in 2026, an increase of approximately 382%.

The department did not attribute the rise specifically to health care for undocumented immigrants, but DHS noted a possible relationship.

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said the agency is working alongside CMS to explore “an initiative to ensure illegal aliens do not receive Medicaid benefits intended for law-abiding Americans.” (DHS, ICE)

DHS also addressed the Trump administration’s desire to obtain specific information about undocumented immigrants who are already registered or receiving health care benefits.

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“This information sharing is essential to identifying those in our country, including violent criminals, identifying threats to public safety and terrorism that may exist so we can neutralize them and identifying public benefits that these foreigners are using at taxpayer expense,” McLaughlin told Fox News Digital.

“Democrats in California“Trump, like Gavin Newsom, must stop putting illegal aliens ahead of Americans,” McLaughlin added.

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California also receives Federal medical financial assistance Through intergovernmental transfers (IGTs), a type of loophole that allows a state to boost its Medicaid spending, which is then matched with federal tax dollars.

California Governor Gavin Newsom opposed undocumented immigrants receiving health care earlier this year. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

IGTs allow this Local governments Such as counties and public hospitals sending money to the state which the state then claims as Medicaid spending. The Department of Homeland Security explained that the federal government matches state spending under the inflated amount.

States can then return the money originally issued to them by local entities, while keeping federal taxpayer dollars.

It can be argued that IGTs contribute to ambulance cost inflation. Private providers are capped at a rate of $339, while taxpayer-funded public transportation has been greatly inflated in California.

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The Department of Homeland Security claims this loophole is fueled by taxpayers across the country and is being used to pay for health care for illegal immigrants.

While the complex loophole is being used to raise more funding for Medicaid in other states as well, California’s large number of illegal immigrants makes it an easy target for DHS and DHS. The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office but did not immediately receive a response.

Preston Maisel is a writer for Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and X @MizellPreston