Within this tumultuous political climate, the ACLU has been continuously been brought into the discussion. But what, or who, exactly is the ACLU?
The ACLU is the acronym for the American Civil Liberties Union. Throughout their history, the organization has “worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Initially, the ACLU was formed in response to the Palmer Raids, but has since battled against the Japanese internment camps, worked with the NAACP on the Brown v. Board of Education case which desegregated schools, and worked to rewrite the Patriot Act, just to name a few famous cases.
The ACLU focuses on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and the importance of these rights in maintaining our nation’s values. The group describes themselves as “not anti-anything,” but rather simply fighting against things that restrict or counteract civil liberties. Furthermore, they stress that “rich or poor, straight or gay, black or white or brown, urban or rural, pious or atheist, American-born or foreign-born, able-bodied or living with a disability … every person in this country should have the same basic rights.”
Therefore, the ACLU operates within the court system to enact change and protect our basic human rights as American citizens. As the larget public interest law firm in the United States, the organization battles “racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, and censorship.” The ACLU has participated in the most Supreme Court cases of any private organization, and has appeared frequently in front of the Supreme Court, second only to the Department of Justice. Also, the ACLU does not receive any government funding—it relies on private contributions and member dues, and operates as a non-profit and non-partisan organization.
Although the ACLU has no political affiliation, it has vocally objected to certain legislation introduced by the Trump administration. One of their current projects is working against unjust immigration proposals. Often, detained immigrants have to wait ludicrous amounts of time before seeing a judge, something that the ACLU is working to change, as it violates due process. They also have created a case (Darweesh v. Trump) against the immigration ban, nicknamed the “Muslim Ban,” proposed by President Trump. The case specifically focuses on two individuals detained at airports even though they had proper visas, reinstating that this action defies due process.
The ACLU is working to combat these immigration policies, as it believes that they violate our civil liberties as American citizens. Even before the presidential election, the ACLU was wary of Trump, as his statements, if enforced, would go against the Constitution. This included his desire to ban Muslim individuals, now a looming reality, which would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the First Amendment, due process and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment, and break U.S. obligations of both national and international law. The report produced by the ACLU describes an extensive evalution of Trump’s proposal and campaign promises, deeply rooted in constitutional violations.
If you would like to get involved, you can. You can join the ACLU, or donate to their cause if it is one you believe in. They stress all are welcome—Republicans, Democrats, members of other political parties, or those who do not identify with any political party. The only requirement is to “consistently defend civil liberties and the Constitution.”