Court Cases

On July 1, 2026, MALDEF and the ACLU of Kansas filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit between the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Kansas on behalf of students without lawful immigration status in Kansas who would be irreparably harmed by the elimination of regular tuition. The DOJ sued the state of Kansas for providing in-state tuition to college students without lawful immigration status. Rather than defend the laws of the state he serves, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach immediately joined the DOJ in asking the court to overturn the law that has been in place since 2004. On September 9, 2026, a federal court for the District of Kansas denied Kansas immigrant students’ Motion to Intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking to eliminate regular tuition for students without lawful immigration status in Kansas. The court also denied Governor Laura Kelly's Motions to Intervene and Dismiss the DOJ lawsuit and entered the consent judgment sought by the DOJ and Attorney General Kris Kobach ending access to regular tuition for undocumented Kansas students.