Protesters poured into airports and city streets across America to demonstrate their staunch disapproval of President Trump’s executive order banning travelers from Muslim countries. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which was expected to take extreme budget cuts and lose a lot of power, has actually found strength under Trump’s new Regieme. Not because he is funding the Civil Liberties Union (trump doesn’t care about social progress), but because in the face of an administration as hatefu and racist as the Trump admin, the American people have stood up to support the ACLU out of their own pockets. They have received a record $19 million in donations since the election of Trump.
Trump’s ban forbade people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and Libya from entering the United States for a period of 90 days. (Of course, Muslim countries that had business deals with Trump were obviously excluded of the travel ban). Refugees are are banned for 120 days.
The law has split families apart families, complicated medical treatments and forced innocent refugees to return to their war-torn homes where they will certainly suffer and likely die. And the worst part: Not one single act of terror has ever been committed against America by citizens of those seven countries.
The ACLU sent legal representation to airports to assist people affected by the ban and filed injunctions against the executive order, which were upheld by federal judges across the nation. In some cases, families were allowed to reunite, including a mother who had been separated from her small son.
The ACLU typically receives $3 million in donations each year. But over the course of the 48 hours after Trump’s travel ban went into action, it received $19 million from 300,000 donors. Executive Director Anthony Romero said the amount of donations and the explosive growth of membership was incredible and unprecedented.
Social media played a large part in driving donations. Rosie O’Donnell tweeted she would match donations up to $100,000, Chris Sacca offered a $150,000 match and tech company Lyft gave $1 million.