$10.5 Million in Medicaid Given to Illegal Aliens in Mississippi, State Auditor Says

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A new report from Mississippi State Auditor Shad White has uncovered that illegal aliens in the state received at least $10.5 million in Medicaid benefits between 2023 and 2025.

“If this money had gone to benefit lawful citizens, it could have reduced our taxes, paid our teachers, paid our police officers—frankly, anything would be better than serving as a magnet for illegal immigrants to come to the United States,” White told The Daily Signal.

“Mississippi taxpayers deserve to know the cost of illegal immigrants in our state, even if it makes some folks uncomfortable,” White added. “My team will always tell you how your money in being spent, warts and all.”

The new report comes after White’s office released a report in 2024 titled “How Illegal Immigration Hurts Mississippi Taxpayers,” which highlighted that state divisions were spending a staggering $4 million in taxpayer money on emergency services for illegal aliens.

However, that analysis excluded the cost of Medicaid to illegal immigrants because Mississippi’s Medicaid program failed to report expenditures for care for illegal immigrants despite being required by federal law.

Federal law requires hospitals to provide emergency medical services regardless of immigration status. It also requires states to report how much taxpayer money is spent providing those services to illegal immigrants.

This lack of disclosure prompted White to conduct a follow-up investigation into the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, which determined that the department was spending massive amounts of federal taxpayer dollars without reporting it.

“The only answer here is to have a federal government continue to do exactly what the Trump administration is doing, which is close our borders and enforce our immigration laws,” White continued. “In addition, I pushed hard for a new law to make illegal immigration a state crime, and that bill passed this year, which will also help.”