Boxes of sealed papers from an influential anti-immigrant activist have been stored at U of M for years. So what’s in them?

In 2016, Virginia-based immigration lawyer Hassan Ahmad sent the University of Michigan a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to access sealed papers donated to the university by John Tanton, a prominent anti-immigration activist from Michigan. 

But the public university denied the request until 2035. 

After years of lower court battles and lawsuits, the issue will go before the Michigan Supreme Court Wednesday.

The initial interest in the boxes of papers stored in the university’s library began when Ahmad saw a photo of former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is known for his strong anti-immigration policies, with then President-elect Donald Trump in 2016. Kobach at the time was vying to be Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security.

Ahmad said he feared what Trump’s administration would mean for his clients and what he would be able to do as an immigration attorney. 

So Ahmad started looking into who in Trump’s cabinet could affect immigration policies and what they believe in. 

“Well, if Kris Kobach is going to be the type of person that’s going to be brought...