A Texas doctor’s TikTok advising migrants that they don’t have to answer immigration questions when receiving medical treatment has gone viral.

Doctor Tony Pastor has posted a video about the Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order that requires hospitals in the State to collect data on illegal migrants.

The Houston cardiologist expressed his concern that the new policy, which included a question about citizenship on intake forms, might discourage people from seeking care.

In the video, he says: “It’s made us all physicians and providers feel super uncomfortable.” No one has explained what the people will do with this data. “I worry that the information will be used to deport people, given the way that things are moving in this country.”

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The pastor said that although hospital staff were told that immigrants did not have to answer, no one had informed them of this.

He added, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to have everyone not answer the question? It would really mess up whatever data they were looking for?”

Newsweek reached Pastor via social media, and Abbott’s Office via email on Friday for comments.

Abbott announced his plans in August. He said that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission would be able to estimate the cost of providing medical treatment to undocumented immigrant.

The program began on November 1 in response to the influx of immigrants who have crossed the border between the United States and Mexico in the last two years. Many had settled in Texas.

The Governor has been one the most vocal critics of current border policies by the federal government and has launched his own program called Operation Lone Star to combat illegal immigration in Texas.

Carrie Williams, spokesperson for the Texas Hospital Association, told Newsweek in advance of the implementation date that patient care will not change.

She said that Texas hospitals are a safe environment for those seeking medical care. “On implementation details, each hospital is different.”

Pastor’s video was liked by around a quarter million people, and over 7,000 users commented that they refused to answer questions on the intake form such as citizenship.

“I am in Texas. This is one of the questions I would rather not answer in medical establishments. Carlee Nicole wrote: “This includes my cycle and marital status as well as the type of birth control I use.”

Some people asked if the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, provided any protection against the government accessing specific patient information.

The act offers strict confidentiality rules. However, certain data can be shared by law enforcement officials in specific circumstances. For example, if there is a court warrant or order, or if the information is needed to identify a suspect, or find a missing person.

Abbott said the data was used for cost assessment, not immigration enforcement, and that hospital staff must inform patients they will be unaffected. The first wave is due to be submitted by March 2025.