The American Civil Liberties Union had its most lucrative weekend, breaking fundraising records after suing the White House over President Trump's immigration ban.
The executive order President-elect Donald Trump has signed essentially bans immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. The order has raised a great deal of controversy and has shaken the tech industry, meeting quite some opposition.
Google, Facebook and Apple leaders have spoken out against the ban, along with many others. Major technology companies oppose the immigration order and fear the future under these circumstances. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has recalled employees back to the United States, while Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that Apple would not exist without immigration.
ACLU Sues The White House
The ACLU, meanwhile, took things to the next level and sued the White House over Trump's immigration ban, which bans people from seven countries from entering the United States for 90 days.
It's clear that the ACLU struck a chord, as it raised more than 350,000 online donations amassing an impressive total of $24 million since Saturday morning. According to ACLU executive director Anthony Romero, the non-profit organization normally raises roughly $4 million online in a year. As a reminder, ACLU fights to protect the rights and liberties of individuals, as guaranteed in the Constitution.
"It's really clear that this is a different type of moment," Romero tells USA Today. "People want to know what they can do. They want to be deployed as protagonists in this fight. It's not a spectator sport."
Temporary Injunction On The Immigration Ban
Following Trump's executive order, ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of two individuals from Iraq who were detained at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Friday. The legal action prompted a federal judge in Brooklyn to block parts of Trump's executive order on Saturday, prohibiting officials from deporting people detained in U.S. airports because of the immigration ban.
"A federal judge granted the American Civil Liberties Union's request for a nationwide temporary injunction that will block the deportation of all people stranded in U.S. airports under President Trump's new Muslim ban," says ACLU.
Victory!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/uyza3zrQSX
— ACLU National (@ACLU) Jan. 28, 2017
This means that people detained at airports across the United States have been granted emergency stay.
ACLU Sees Unprecedented Support
Romero tells Yahoo News that the donations it received and the number of new members who joined over the weekend are "unprecedented."
"I've never seen anything like this," notes Romero. "People are fired up and want to be engaged. What we've seen is an unprecedented public reaction to the challenges of the Trump administration."
As of early Sunday, the ACLU welcomed more than 150,000 new members and the $24 million in donations will help it continue its fight against this immigration ban. Among notable supporters, Lyft pledged a $1 million donation to ACLU, while Sia and Rosie O'Donnell pledged to donate up to $100,000.
Trump's immigration ban has everyone on edge and despite protests and heavy criticism, the President is poised to continue with this strategy. The ACLU pledges to keep fighting the ban.
