In the wake of a devastating election, many of us are at a loss for what we can do. Although the Democratic Party may have failed to defend the nation against Trump, nonprofit civil rights organization the ACLU has announced their “battle plan” for the coming years.
The national network of lawyers and organizers filed over 430 lawsuits against the Trump administration during his first term. They’re more than prepared to roll up their sleeves and get to work once again.
“We are ready to take action the minute Trump takes the oath of office,” the ACLU wrote on X/Twitter.
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The organization pointed out the many threats Trump’s second term poses, based on his own statements and the Project 2025 blueprint. These threats include mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, an all-out assault on LGBTQ+ (particularly trans) rights, a further erosion of reproductive freedom, and leveraging the power of the federal government against anyone he labels “the enemy within.”
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In a post-election statement, the ACLU addressed its plan of action for each of these areas.
On queer rights, the organization will “use the courts to affirm that LGBTQ people are protected from discrimination under federal law. We’ll fight to invalidate Trump administration policies that permit discrimination across the federal government, and to shut down the administration’s efforts to require discrimination at the state and local levels.”
On immigration, the ACLU will “defend against the Trump administration’s unlawful mass deportation plan through coordinated action at all levels of government. We’ll also work with states and localities to protect residents to the full extent possible and ensure that a Trump administration can’t hijack state resources to carry out its draconian policies.”
On abortion, the ACLU will “challenge the Trump administration’s dangerous attacks on reproductive freedom, including any attempts to weaponize the Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide or to take medication abortion off the shelves. We’ll also protect access to birth control and family planning services.”
As for ‘the enemy within’—that is, Trump’s political opponents that he plans to silence—the ACLU will “provide legal defense to whistleblowers and critics who dare to stand up to Trump’s policies. We’ll also protect freedom of speech and the right to protest against Trump’s agenda.”
The ACLU’s strategy will utilize the available tools at both the federal and state levels. They plan to hold Congress accountable to its constitutional duty to provide oversight, and they will work with local lawmakers to “build a firewall for freedom and enact laws that protect people from government abuse.”
While the situation is dire, the ACLU says it’s used to dire circumstances. “We’ve seen 105 years and 19 presidents,” the venerable nonprofit wrote. “Trump’s gotta get past all of us.
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