Blog post from ACLU executive director Anthony Romero, originally posted at aclu.org

Since Election Day, the ACLU has seen a renewed sense of urgency from hundreds of thousands of Americans to protect civil liberties.

In just five days, our Facebook followers have increased by 25 percent to nearly one million people; 400,000 people viewed our open letter to President-elect Trump on our website; and 150,000 new people have joined our e-mail list. We have also heard from thousands of people offering to volunteer their time and services and have received roughly 120,000 donations, totaling more than $7.2 million.

This is the greatest outpouring of support for the ACLU in our nearly 100-year history, greater than the days after 9/11. All of this support will be put to good use protecting the rights of all Americans. Immediately, we are working across the country to protect the rights of protestors and ensuring those who voice their concerns know their rights. We are also analyzing the civil liberties records of potential high-ranking federal appointees.

In the coming weeks and months, the ACLU will be focusing our legal and advocacy strength on:

• protecting the “Dreamers” who received presidential deferred action protection
• resisting any attempt to create a dragnet deportation force
• obstructing any effort to defund Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health service providers or deny reproductive rights
• preserving civil rights protections for transgender Americans
• preventing  “stop-and-frisk” policies from being adopted nationwide
• opposing any ban levied against Muslims for entry into the United States or discrimination against Muslims in the United States.

As other civil liberties' challenges arise, we will pivot — as we always have. Working in partnership with other organizations, the ACLU will do all its best to ensure that the rights and freedoms guaranteed by our founding documents are defended. Since our founding, we have held every president accountable, fighting for the rights of all Americans in courtrooms, legislatures, and beyond. With 1,100 staff across the country, an office in every state, and a growing base of support among the broader public, failure is not an option.  

In response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero had the following statement:

“For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation’s premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today.”

“President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation’s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation’s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression.”

“These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.”

“One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor.”

The ACLU release its analysis of candidate Trump’s policy proposals in July, which can be found at:

https://medium.com/acluelection2016/donald-trump-a-one-man-constitutional-crisis-9f7345e9d376#.yx3u5rjpi