We're here from the ACLU. Thank you for your support! - Politics

We're here from the ACLU. Thank you for your support!
Donald Trump often tweets about terror and violence, but he ignored an attack on Muslims in Quebec City
Donald Trump threatens to withdraw federal funds from Berkeley University after Breitbart editor talk cancelled
Schwarzenegger responds to Trump: 'Why don't we switch jobs?'
Breitbart loses advertising deals with 818 companies due to grassroots campaign
Donald Trump’s wall the 'most idiotic thing I have ever seen', says developer asked to build it
US military officials: Trump-ordered raid in Yemen that killed US Navy SEAL was approved 'without sufficient intelligence'
Donald Trump reportedly planning executive order declaring pre-marital sex, same-sex marriage and abortion to be wrong
Questions mount over Trump's approval of botched Yemen raid
It’s 8:30AM: Trump has already alienated Australia, U.C. Berkeley & threatened Iran on Twitter
Lawmaker calls for Melania Trump's immigration papers
Arizona congressman says President Donald Trump is ‘mentally unstable’
‘Impeach Trump Now’ Campaign Gets Over Half Million Signatures
President Trump’s disastrous first military operation was ordered without “sufficient intelligence”: report
Twitter to donate $1.6M to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) after Trump immigration order
Dems launch 'unprecedented early effort' to capture GOP districts
Here’s Donald Trump Boasting About Apprentice Ratings At The National Prayer Breakfast
President Donald Trump's actions like a 'military coup', says expert on fascism
Donald Trump sued by doctor whose visa was revoked 'for having Muslim prayer app on phone'
Donald Trump loosens sanctions preventing Russia intelligence agencies from cyberspying
Donald Trump vows to 'totally destroy' Johnson Amendment that stops churches funding political parties
U.S. makes sanctions exceptions for some transactions with Russian intelligence agency
Steve Bannon in 2016: legal immigration is the real “problem"
GOP Rep's Office Nixes Obamacare Town Hall Because A Reporter Was Present
Carl Bernstein on covering Trump: Follow the money
The leaks coming out of the Trump White House right now are totally bananas

We're here from the ACLU. Thank you for your support!

Posted: 02 Feb 2017 08:12 AM PST

As you probably know by now, the ACLU won our first victory this week against the Trump administration. To recap: On Friday, President Trump issued an executive order banning people from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States. We knew what that was: The Muslim ban Trump had campaigned on disguised as a national security measure.

The executive order went into effect immediately, and the ACLU and partner organizations quickly sprang into action. Lawyers at ACLU affiliates across the country camped out at airports to offer assistance to anyone impacted by this order. Protesters showed up at airports across the country, and our communications teams went to the airports to document the protests that sprung up across the country. And early Saturday morning, we sued the Trump administration on behalf of two Iraqi refugees who were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport. One of those clients, Hameed Khalid Darweesh arrived and was immediately detained. Darweesh worked as interpreter for the U.S. army.

Then at 9pm a federal judge in Brooklyn blocked President Trump's discriminatory policy from going into effect.

This was the first win in a long battle. We will continue to remain vigilant protecting the civil rights and liberties of anyone impacted by Donald Trump's policies.

Helping us remain vigilant: We have seen a massive increase in online donations, $24 million from more than 356,000 donations just over the weekend. We're in a battle of David (us) vs. Goliath (the Trump administration and the weight of the DOJ) but we are ready.

We have a 7-point action plan for how we plan to take on the Trump administration. This includes:

1. Demand government accountability and transparency:

File Freedom of Information Act requests
Defend whistleblowers and journalists who rely on them.

2. Protect the rights of immigrants

Mount rapid response to immigration raids
File systemic litigation to challenge Fourth Amendment violations and racial profiling in street-level immigration enforcement
Develop legal theories to defend sanctuary cities against federal action
Represent "Dreamers" when their status comes under attack
Bring systemic litigation to challenge excessive and punitive immigration detention
Challenge unconstitutional immigration policies that discriminate against Muslims

3. Defend reproductive rights

Oppose efforts to defund Planned Parenthood
File litigation to challenge any new federal restrictions on abortion access
Challenge laws that permit the use of religion to discriminate by allowing health care providers and social service agencies to turn women away when they seek reproductive health care services or information
Challenge abortion restrictions at the state level through litigation and advocacy
Challenge existing restrictions on abortion that are more vulnerable to challenge following the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt

4. Protect First Amendment rights

Respond aggressively to threats against Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities
Expand efforts to defend and inform protestors through know-your-rights materials, provide legal observers at protests and file lawsuits to protect protestors
Fight dragnet government surveillance that sweeps up innocent Americans' information

5. Defend LGBT rights

Fight the rescission of federal LGBT protections Sue the Department of Defense if it reinstates the ban on open military service by transgender people
Oppose religious exemption measures both in state legislatures and Congress that discriminate against LGBT individuals
Fight anti-transgender rights bills in Congress and in state legislatures

6. Defend core civil rights and civil liberties from erosion

Identify, investigate, and challenge the worst police departments for Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment violations
Intervene in federal consent decrees with police departments and private employers regarding racial and gender discrimination
Litigate against the worst voter suppression measures

7. Mobilize the American people

Deploy our more than a million card-carrying members in direct citizen action, including protests, petitions, and lobbying
Raise $100 million for a Constitutional Defense Fund in support of this plan — $47 million of which has already been raised

We can answer a few questions now and will pop in throughout the day to answer more!

We can't do any of this without you. Thank you for your support.

submitted by /u/aclu
[link] [comments]

Donald Trump often tweets about terror and violence, but he ignored an attack on Muslims in Quebec City

Posted: 02 Feb 2017 05:40 AM PST