Building a Firewall: Our Plan for a Second Trump Administration
Last updated on November 06, 2024
Building a Firewall: Our Plan for a Second Trump Administration
The ACLU never shied away from challenging Trump’s reckless disregard for the Constitution during his first administration. And, we stand prepared to do the same this time.
Trump’s vision for our country is not the vision of an America seeking that “more perfect union” that guides our work. We saw firsthand the threat that the first Trump Administration posed to basic civil liberties, from the way in which the Administration cruelly separated children from their parents at the border and enforced immigration laws in a biased fashion, to his urging police to use harsh tactics – like stop and frisk – that target Black and Brown young men, to his attacks on immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks and anyone who disagreed with him. And, of course, Trump was the architect of the Supreme Court decision that recklessly ripped away the federal constitutional right to access abortion care.
The ACLU was made for this moment. For more than a century — through 19 presidencies — the ACLU has defended our democracy at times of greatest threat. In the courts and in the legislatures, online and in the streets, the ACLU mobilizes advocates and community members working together in Illinois and in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico to defend democracy, advance civil rights, and strengthen civil liberties.
We are committed to building and enforcing a firewall of protections in Illinois to limit the inevitable harm that will flow from the new administration’s attacks. We must – and will – continue to work at every level of government in this state – from the legislature, to county boards, to city halls to make sure Illinois remains a place where rights are protected and expanded.
The ACLU never shied away from challenging Trump’s reckless disregard for the Constitution during his first administration. And, we stand prepared to do the same this time.
During the second administration at the ACLU of Illinois we are prepared to:
- Fight back against attacks on core civil liberties and civil rights that disproportionately impact communities served by the ACLU.
- Build and strengthen state law protections for people across our state.
- Work with people in communities across Illinois to expand on civil liberties opportunities and address threats.
Any actions we take will continue the relentless pursuit of our organizational priorities, which include:
- Protecting bodily autonomy, including advancing access to comprehensive reproductive health care as well as access to gender-affirming care and other LGBTQ+ rights.
- Defending First Amendment rights to free expression, including the right to protest and the freedom to read and learn.
- Leading efforts to change state governmental systems that affect people in the care or custody of the state, including in jails and prisons, youth detention centers, the Department of Children and Family Services, and institutions for those living with disabilities.
- Changing the nature of policing across the State of Illinois to ensure community safety, and that police act constitutionally and their practices reflect community input and needs.
- Ensuring privacy protections in the wake of the increased ability of both private and public actors to surveil individuals through technologies that are part of our daily lives.
- Protecting historically targeted groups, including women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, religious minorities, poor and low-income people, migrants, and immigrants.