Kansas community college to require immigration documents for some courses

Taylor O'Connor, The Kansas City Star on Aug 5, 2025

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At least one instructor has resigned from teaching at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, after leadership announced that students in its adult education programs will be required to present proof of their immigration status in order to register for classes this fall.

The new policy follows an executive order from President Donald Trump and a directive from the U.S. Department of Education.

“It seems just really unjust that students seeking out more education … who want to use their skills more effectively in our society will no longer be able to get an education,” Daniel Tyx said of his reason for resigning.

Tyx has lived in the Kansas City area for four years and previously taught middle school Spanish. Last year, he started teaching adults learning English within Johnson County Community College’s adult education program.

“I really liked my job, the program is a wonderful program,” Tyx said, saying that 800 students participated in the program last semester. “In my opinion, it’s the best ELL (English Language Learner) program in the state of Kansas.”

“I planned to continue to work there until this past week.”

That’s when the college announced that all adult education programs, like ELL or GED classes, will require students to present the most recent documentation of their current U.S. citizenship or immigration status as part of the course registration process.

According to an announcement online, students interested in attending adult education classes need to bring their Real ID, birth certificate, U.S. passport or immigration documents when they register, referring to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website for a list of commonly used documents.

A JCCC spokesperson said in a statement that the administration will “continue to operate JCCC to maintain compliance and serve qualified individuals.”

In July, the Trump administration froze more than $700 million for adult funding nationwide before reversing course and restoring the funding. Many adult education programs, including JCCC’s, rely on federal funds to help pay for courses.

Around the same time, the Department of Education announced that individuals without citizenship or permanent resident status would no longer be eligible to participate in federally funded career, technical or adult education programs.

The announcement — a response to a recent executive order — rescinded a Clinton-era exception made for those adult education programs, now counting them among other public benefits and welfare programs that already restrict access based on immigration status.

The federal agency directs adult education programs that receive federal funds to verify the immigration status of their students, “to ensure that limited federal funding is not being improperly distributed to noneligible individuals or used to support programs and services that serve illegal aliens.”

“I just couldn’t morally and ethically be OK with asking my students – who I care about so much – for their immigration documents and if they didn’t, I had to tell them you can’t be a part of this program,” Tyx said. “I wasn’t willing to do that.”

This isn’t the first time federal changes impacted the community college.

In February, JCCC disbanded its Office of Inclusion and Belonging in order to comply with the Trump administration’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or risk losing federal financial aid for its students.

Looking ahead to next school year, returning students will have to register for a verification appointment starting Tuesday until the end of the week in order for the college to determine if they qualify for adult education services. New students are required to go through the registration online Monday and in person Tuesday.

Tyx said he anticipates that JCCC will see a drop in enrollment for its adult education programs as a result of this change.

“Community colleges exist to help students who otherwise might not be able to attend college,” Tyx said. “Once you start chipping away at being an equal access institution, where does it stop?”