Tennessee Plans to Share Data on Children with Disabilities with Immigration Authorities Authors: Drishti Pillai, Akash Pillai, and Samantha Artiga Published: Jun 29, 2026

https://www.kff.org/immigrant-health/tennessee-plans-to-share-data-on-children-with-disabilities-with-immigration-authorities/ According to recent news reports, the families of about 400 children with disabilities who are enrolled in Tennessee’s Children’s Special Services (CSS) program received notices from the state health department in early June stating that if their child continued to remain enrolled in CSS beyond June 30, 2026, their information would be reported to a central state immigration enforcement agency. However, following a lawsuit filed by physicians in the state, a judge issued a temporary restraining order on June 24, 2026, to prevent this data sharing from taking place. Tennessee is one of at least six states that have taken actions as of June 2026 to require state agencies to report applicants or recipients of Medicaid and/or other public benefits whose immigration status could not be verified and/or who were verified to not have lawful presence with immigration enforcement authorities. Under longstanding federal law, Medicaid and other federally funded health coverage are already limited to lawfully present immigrants.