ACLU of Kansas launches “Opportunity Forward”, new campaign for immigrants’ rights in the Free State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2026

CONTACT: Esmie Tseng, [email protected]

KANSAS — The ACLU of Kansas is launching “Opportunity Forward,” a new campaign focused on protecting immigrants’ rights in the state that will prioritize rolling back or preventing 287(g) agreements on the local level, protecting in-state tuition for students, and pushing back against the use of ICE detainers to hold people in local county jails.

“Kansas is strongest when people are judged by their character, contributions, and actions – not by where they come from, what language they speak, or what they look like,” said Micah Kubic, Executive Director of the ACLU of Kansas. “The families, workers, students, and business owners who help Kansas thrive come from many different backgrounds, and we should reject policies that make it harder for them to work hard, build a future here, and contribute to our communities. Our whole state is better, stronger, and moves forward when there is a shared vision of opportunity.”

“Across the country and here in Kansas, masked ICE agents are separating families, lawlessly arresting and harassing citizens and legal residents, and deporting many people without a fair chance in court,” said Kubic. 287(g) agreements and ICE detainers are forcing local Kansas police or jails to join in on ICE’s reckless, chaotic intrusion in our neighborhoods. These policies and their real-life execution don’t make us safer—instead, Kansans pay the price in trust and safety for an unconstitutional agenda born out of Washington. We must defend our fundamental rights and our communities against these programs and invest in the things that actually help the lives of people who make their homes here and who should have the opportunity that education and hard work can provide.”

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About the ACLU of Kansas: The ACLU of Kansas is the statewide affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU of Kansas is dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For more information, visit our website at www.aclukansas.org.