Over the weekend, the American Civil Liberties Union received $24,164,691 from 356,306 online donations — a hefty sum considering the nonprofit organization typically only receives $4 million a year from online donations.
"I've never seen anything like this," executive director Anthony Romero told Yahoo News early Sunday, when the fundraising total was at $10 million. "People are fired up and want to be engaged." On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning entry into the United States by travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and halting the refugee program, and the next day, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Iraqi men detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. A federal judge blocked part of the order, and the men were released.
Since Nov. 8, the ACLU's membership has doubled to 1 million members, Slate reports. The organization can expect to see even more money roll in — celebrities like Sia and Rosie O'Donnell have said they will match up to $100,000 in donations, and actress Sarah Paulson used her acceptance speech at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night to urge people to donate.