ACLU Responds to Election of Donald Trump

WASHINGTON — Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), had the following reaction to The Associated Press’ call of the 2024 presidential election for Donald Trump:

“While Donald Trump may have been democratically reelected, a second Trump Administration represents a clear and present danger to our democratic norms, processes, and institutions. Fortunately, our nation is stronger than one man or political party — no matter how dogged they are in attacking our democracy.

“At the ACLU, we’re clear-eyed about the chaos and destruction a second Trump administration will cause to our nation. That’s why we’re done with handwringing, admiring the problem, or waiting anxiously to see which unlawful action President-elect Trump will take on Day One. We are ready to take action the minute Trump takes the oath of office.

“President-elect Trump will keep his promise to target the ‘enemy within’ — which, for Trump, means anyone who disagrees with him. He is dead serious about seeking retribution against his political opponents and deploying federal law enforcement to shut down protests and muzzle dissent. However, as the premier defender of freedom of speech and freedom of association, the ACLU has a 105-year track record of fighting such abuses of power.

“President-elect Trump has also been crystal clear about his plans to deport one million immigrants every year. Yet, past attempts at immigration raids have shown there is no way to deport one million immigrants without violating due process and engaging in racial discrimination.

“Earlier this year, the ACLU developed a roadmap to defend our rights beginning on Inauguration Day. When President Trump targets immigrants, dissidents, and his political opponents — we will challenge him in the courts, at the state legislatures, and in the streets.

“Fortunately, the ACLU is not new to this. We filed 434 legal actions against the first Trump administration, often winning landmark cases before Trump-appointed judges.

“One week into Trump’s presidency, we were the first organization to challenge his Muslim ban. And when the administration sought to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, the ACLU took that fight to the Supreme Court and won. Our litigation also stopped the inhumane practice of separating immigrant families.

“Throughout the first Trump administration, the ACLU consistently mobilized hundreds of thousands of people who voiced their opposition to Trump’s policies. And during the next Trump administration, we will work through our ACLU affiliates to build firewalls that safeguard rights and liberties in states across the nation.

“At the ACLU, we play the long game. We’ve been around for 105 years. We’ve seen 19 presidents come and go. Once again, we will deploy our millions of activists and card-carrying members — alongside our 2,200 staff spanning every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — to ensure that erosions of civil rights or civil liberties will be hard-fought and hotly contested.”