Obama Administration: Personal Info For Health Care Only

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is stressing that information provided while signing up for coverage under the new health care law will not be used to enforce immigration law.

That's always been the case, but lingering fear among some immigrants that personal details could be used against them led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to clarify. In a memo released late Friday, the agency reiterated that it does not use information provided during the enrollment process to pursue civil immigration enforcement.

Illegal immigrants are ineligible for benefits under the nation's health care overhaul, but U.S. citizens or legal residents living with them may be eligible.

Some applicants must provide information on the citizenship status of others living with them to help make sure the household is processed correctly.