State and local officials play direct and crucial roles in shaping and safeguarding our civil rights and civil liberties, especially amid the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks. These offices and officials – governors, state legislatures, attorneys general, and mayors – influence countless parts of our daily lives but, most importantly, their decisions can determine voter access, life-saving healthcare, gender-affirming care, and other vital rights the Trump administration has threatened.

Below, we break down the offices and officials who can – and must – uphold our rights.

Governors sign bills into law, determine law enforcement priorities, and develop state budgets, all of which directly impact our civil rights. For example, they can enact laws that either protect or ban abortion, and advance or hinder voting rights. Governors also wield influence over the criminal justice system. They supervise state law enforcement agencies, appoint corrections officials, and can advocate for policies to reduce mass incarceration, address racial disparities in our justice system, and keep communities safe.

As part of the ACLU’s Firewall for Freedom campaign, we are asking governors to direct state agencies not to voluntarily share private information or otherwise collaborate with federal law enforcement seeking to violate civil rights and civil liberties. This doesn’t end with law enforcement — officials must safeguard student data, stop collecting information that could be weaponized against our communities, and enact policies to ensure students do not suffer discrimination and harassment at school.

Attorneys general serve as the guardian for legal rights in the state, which covers all kinds of freedoms for millions of people. We’ve asked attorney generals to issue guidance addressing our firewall asks — but that’s just one step they can take.

As many states strengthen their anti-discrimination laws, attorneys general can proactively issue guidance affirming these protections against Trump administration threats. Their guidance can help protect undocumented communities, LGBTQ individuals, and protesters from politics that target them for discrimination or harassment. They can also challenge voter suppression laws in court and enforce protections for abortion providers. Already, a number of attorneys general have filed cases challenging Trump administration executive orders that roll back civil rights protections and threaten local resources that communities rely upon.

State legislatures write and pass laws that directly impact our freedoms. Most urgently, they must pass privacy laws to bar corporations and law enforcement from using unchecked data collection to track sensitive activities like seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care. Meaningful legislation — often called SHIELD laws — limit the data that companies can collect and share, reducing the risk of surveillance, discrimination, and exploitation of personal information.

State legislatures also must establish election laws that can make it easier for us to vote. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, these legislatures have the power to protect abortion in their state. Their authority also extends to criminal justice reform in defining crime, response procedures, and sentencing. They must also limit cooperation with federal authorities’ immigration policy, and codify legal protections for LGBTQ individuals.

State Treasurers, comptrollers and controllers oversee the fiscal health of each state and hold authority over crucial financial decision making. They also do crucial work to keep legislatures informed about the true impact of federal decisions on resources to the state.

With federal funding under threat by the Trump administration — often coupled with disinformation about how state and local agencies are actually using those funds — state treasurers will play a crucial role to speak to the devastating impacts of rolling back funding authorized by Congress. These fiscal leaders will also play a truth telling role when faced with any sweeping mischaracterizations of the lifesaving and essential community programs that our federal money protects.

Similar to governors, mayors have direct authority over city policies, law enforcement, and social programs. They play a crucial role in reproductive rights by allocating funding to support clinics and protecting patients from government harassment. Mayors oversee local police departments, set public safety policies, and promote community-based policing reforms. Many mayors also shape immigration policies within their cities, able to enact sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal deportation efforts.

School boards are instrumental in defining policies that impact students and parents’ civil rights . They promote civic education, sex education, and block efforts to ban books and censor teachers. When school boards implement restorative justice programs, they support criminal justice system reform and reduce punitive measures that disproportionately affect students of color. Additionally, school boards establish policies – such as anti-bullying protections and access to inclusive facilities — to support LGBTQ students.

Right now, the ACLU’s nationwide affiliates are asking their governors, attorneys general, mayors and other state and local officials to say no to Trump’s radical agenda. To support their work, the ACLU has a playbook primed to defend our fundamental freedoms, which includes comprehensive and necessary tools across reproductive rights, immigration, free speech, and more to uphold our rights in the states where we live.

Want to take action alongside your officials? Our volunteer teams help mobilize and organize communities all across the country in defense of our civil liberties by making calls, sending texts, or writing letters

This week at the ACLU of Maine: We joined a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of international students, we're taking action against potential attacks on trans student athletes, and we're pushing back on ICE activity in Maine.

ACLU of Maine Files Joint Class Action to Defend International Students

We sued Trump -- again. This time, for illegally terminating the legal status of hundreds of international students.

Late last week, the ACLU of Maine joined the ACLUs of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont in a federal class action lawsuit to represent over 100 students who have had their F-1 student immigration status unlawfully and abruptly terminated.

These sudden terminations of F-1 student immigration status, which have been happening across the country since at least early March, circumvent the law and strip students of their rights to due process. The president's illegal actions are bad for students, colleges and universities, and Maine communities. One Maine student told us that after their status was abruptly terminated, they had to stop going to class and their job at a Maine-based company.

However, the Trump administration announced on Friday, April 25, that it would reinstate international students’ Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records, which are necessary for studying in the United States. The administration says it will now develop a “framework” for visa terminations. It is too soon to tell how Friday's developments may impact our lawsuit. We will need to confirm if people whose status was terminated, but who have not sued the government, have actually had their student status fully reactivated.

Friday's actions are the latest example of the destructive chaos coming from the Trump administration, which is upending lives throughout the nation – not to mention the underlying attacks on due process. That same morning, we were on a call with a Department of Justice attorney scheduling the next steps in our case against these illegal terminations. Later that afternoon, the administration claimed it would reverse course. This chaos is causing a great deal of uncertainty, keeping people from making important decisions about their lives, families, educations, and businesses – and it leaves many people fearing they may be detained or deported at any time.

We're joining this lawsuit to fight not just for immigrants' rights -- but for academic freedom, fairness, and the values that define our state.

Learn more about the case

 

Tell Maine Lawmakers to Stop the Attacks on Trans Students

This week, we launched an action so you can urge lawmakers to OPPOSE bills attacking trans students' rights. In just over 24 hours, nearly 400 people sent messages to their legislators asking them to uphold the protections guaranteed to us by the Maine Human Rights Act. Add your name now.

The Maine Human Rights Act was first adopted in 1971. Lawmakers expanded it in 2005 to include gender identity under the definition of sexual orientation, ensuring all students can participate fully in school life – including school sports – without fear of discrimination. This expansion was reaffirmed by Maine voters in a referendum.

Help us tell Maine lawmakers that banning trans girls from school sports is a dangerous rollback of our state's values. We cannot afford to open the door to invasive scrutiny of children's bodies and attacks on our right to live authentically and control our own bodies.

TELL LAWMAKERS TO OPPOSE TRANS ATHLETE BANS

 

ACLU of Maine Testifies Against Maine Law Enforcement Supporting "Mass Deportation" Efforts

On Friday, we were in Augusta testifying against a bill that would require state and local law enforcement to support federal immigration authorities.

The bill would open up local law enforcement to expensive litigation when enforcement actions violate people's civil rights, undermine community trust in law enforcement, and incentivize racial profiling by allowing law enforcement to detain anyone suspected of being a non-citizen. 

LD 1656 makes local governments accountable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, instead of Maine voters. It would take valuable resources that should be used to address local needs, and it would erode trust in local law enforcement. When police departments detain people simply due to their alleged immigration status, they create an environment in which those community members are afraid to call for help, report crimes, share evidence, or testify in trials. 

The bill also exposes local law enforcement to expensive litigation and liability. To comply with federal "immigration detainer" requests, local law enforcement would be asked to imprison people without proper due process or probable cause, violating the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Our towns cannot afford the risk of substantial legal and financial liabilities that would come as a result of illegal federal actions.

We'll keep you updated on this bill as it moves through the legislature.

Read our Testimony 

 

Relevant Reads

• Portland Press Herald: Roux Institute student had their visa terminated, ACLU confirms
• Portland Press Herald: Maine’s public defense system gets $3.5M boost, without governor’s support
• Maine Morning Star: Lawmakers revisit bills to ensure diverse histories are taught in Maine schools