U.S. News

ACLU raises $24 million after suit against Trump's travel ban: Report

Protesters gather outside Terminal 4 at JFK airport in opposition to U.S. president Donald Trump's proposed ban on immigration in Queens, New York City, U.S., January 28, 2017.
Stephen Yang | Reuters

The American Civil Liberties Union has raised $24 million since Saturday morning and added more than 150,000 new members, according to media reports.

"What we've seen is an unprecedented public reaction to the challenges of the Trump administration," Anthony Romero, executive director of ACLU, told Yahoo News.

USA Today reported late Sunday that the ACLU had received more than 350,000 online donations totaling $24 million since Saturday morning. The non-profit organization typically raises about $4 million online in a year, according to the newspaper who cited Romero.

The ACLU and other activist groups filed a class action lawsuit Saturday to challenge President Donald Trump's late Friday executive order that restricted travel to the U.S. for citizens of seven countries linked to terrorism.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Iraqis, both with ties to U.S. security forces, who were temporarily detained at JFK Airport in New York on Saturday.

A federal judge granted an emergency stay late Saturday to prevent deportation of people who had landed in the U.S. with valid visas.

Trump said Sunday that his decision was not about religion but rather an effort to improve national security, and that "America is a proud nation of immigrants."

Read the full story on Yahoo News here.