Medi-Cal Immigrant Enrollment Is Dropping. Researchers Point to Trump’s Policies. By Claudia Boyd-Barrett April 15, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/public-charge-rule-homeland-security-medicaid-medi-cal-california-immigrants/ KFF Health News: Medi-Cal Immigrant Enrollment Is Dropping. Researchers Point To Trump’s Policies For months, a cloud of fear has hovered over the immigrant community in San Bernardino, California, making it hard for María González to do her job as a community health worker in this city where almost a quarter of residents are foreign-born. It started building over the summer, fed by news of immigration raids across Southern California, Trump administration plans to share Medicaid data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the passage of state and federal restrictions on immigrant Medicaid eligibility. Then in November, the federal government released a new “public charge” proposal that, if enacted, could block certain immigrants from obtaining permanent legal residency if they or family members have used public benefits, including Medicaid. (Boyd-Barrett, 4/15)