ACLU Donations Surge in Response to Trump's Refugee Ban

Photo of Sia, courtesy Getty ; John Legend, courtesy Reuters

Musicians such as Sia, Grimes and John Legend, as well as tech investor Chris Sacca, led a push for donations on Saturday to the American Civil Liberties Union, following President Donald Trump's controversial executive order temporarily blocking refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations.

Sacca said on Twitter earlier today he is "inspired" by those who are "barely scraping by yet still giving" to the ACLU. In response, he vowed to match donations up to $75,000. Legend shared Sacca's tweet along with a receipt for his personal donation of $10,000.

Earlier this afternoon, Grimes said she would match donations up to $10,000, while Sia tweeted using the hashtag #RESIST, promising to match donations up to $100,000. Bleachers mastermind Jack Antonoff also said tonight he will match up to $20,000 in donations and Los Angeles musician Goldroom has said he will also match donations.

Later Saturday night, Rosie O'Donnell, a longtime critic of Trump and the recipient of some of the President's most vicious personal attacks, vowed to match Sia's $100,000 donation with one of her own.

A number of demonstrations broke out today after two Iraqi men were detained at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, prompting protests at the airport's Terminal 4 and eventually spread to major airports across the country.

Trump said on Friday the move would help prevent “radical Islamic terrorists" from entering the United States, but critics have pointed to his promise that Christians will soon be given priority over Muslims, suggesting the President is specifically targeting Muslims.

Many have also noted, Trump spared the handful of countries in the Middle East where he or his companies have business entanglements, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon missing the ban.

The ACLU on Saturday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to overturn the discriminatory executive orders. A federal judge late Saturday ruled in favor of the ACLU, issuing an emergency stay halting the executive order's effects only for those currently in the United States.

As of Sunday evening (Jan. 29), the ACLU confirmed it received 290,000 donations since Saturday morning for a massive $19.4 million total thus far. That's far more than the $1.7 million in online donations it received in 2016, which was also a marked increase from previous years.

(Updated)