Speaking Out Against Abuse of Power

News reports regularly contain headlines about the Trump Administration’s executive orders and illegal actions that would dismantle the basic structures and operations of our federal government – removing critical protections for many people.

We do not have kings in the United States. Our constitutional system rests on the principle that no single person – including the President – has unchecked power without guardrails. The Trump Administration is attempting to consolidate all federal power in the Executive branch and remove the checks on its actions. This consolidation of power threatens the civil liberties of all people.

• Our constitutional system relies on checks and balances on each branch of government, assuring that no branch can hold too much power. Placing absolute power in the hands of one person threatens our entire system of government and the rights of each of us.
• Administration officials regularly claim that Presidential orders and decisions cannot be questioned – by Congress, the courts, or state governments. This is not how our system has worked for 250 years.
• The President’s executive orders regularly target individuals and groups – using the full power of the federal government – to either dispense punishment or deny rights. No single person should have this power without checks and balances.
• Our Constitution grants the ability to allocate federal government spending and the power to declare war to Congress. Yet the Administration has refused to spend money that Congress has lawfully appropriated, has dismantled departments and agencies that Congress has authorized, and launched military action without consulting Congress.

Due process and regularity in our legal system prohibit the powerful and well-connected from evading accountability and ignoring the rights of others. The Trump Administration repeatedly seeks to deny due process –to immigrants, to law firms and colleges and universities – and abuses our legal system to advance Trump’s policy aims.

• Due process is the fundamental principle of fairness in our legal system, ensuring that individuals are treated fairly and that the government cannot punish them or seize their property without the individual having the opportunity to challenge the action.
• If we lose the right to due process people in power can use the government’s resources to punish people they do not agree with – as we have seen repeatedly in this Administration.
• The Administration has taken action to deport immigrants without due process or access to a fair hearing. Many people detained by ICE have not been able to talk with an attorney and have been misled into signing documents agreeing to their deportation without due process. The Trump Administration has fired many immigration court judges who have a record of following the law. Immigration judges are part of the Department of Justice and lack the protection against termination enjoyed by federal judges appointed under Article III of the Constitution. The Administration has replaced many of the immigration judges with people who will follow the Administration’s policies and quickly deport people.

Elections are an important process where we select officials who will represent us and our values. The Trump Administration is seeking various ways to control the election process – trying to wrest away control from state authorities – in hopes of impacting both who can vote and the outcomes of future elections.

• States– according to our Constitution – are responsible for the election process, including determining how candidates get on the ballot, the election schedule, voter registration and identification and accessibility – including mail-in ballots and early voting.
• Every eligible voter has the right to participate in the election process.
• The Trump Administration is seeking to influence the election process in ways that would make voting less accessible. It has championed the SAVE Act which would have created a burden for anyone whose name did not match their birth certificate. It also has tried to limit voting by mail, and has asked state government to hand over voter data.
• The Administration is using false, unproven claims of voter fraud to restrict access to voting.

Immigrants have strengthened this country throughout our history. From attempting to restrict birthright citizenship, to revoking visas based on speech, to mass deportation policies, the Trump Administration is trying to rewrite who belongs in this country.

• The federal government has used tax dollars to fund the creation and deployment of a massive immigration force (ICE and CPB) in communities across the country. Tasked with the Administration’s efforts to achieve mass deportation, ICE has swept people up without warrants or evidence. ICE agents, often heavily armed and masked, have murdered innocent people during their activities in communities from Illinois to Minnesota to Maine.
• The Administration has detained large numbers of immigrants in substandard conditions. More people have died while in ICE custody in 2026 than in any previous year. Those who are detained are denied adequate food, medical care and – often – meaningful access to counsel. Illinois still has state laws that protect state and local officials from assisting ICE despite attempts from the Administration.
• The Administration tried to restrict the right to citizenship for anyone born in this country, which violates the 14th Amendment and goes against more than one hundred years of Supreme Court precedent. The Supreme Court blocked this effort.

• Have Conversations: Use the information on this page to engage in conversations with your friends, family, and community.
• Protest: Plan or attend a protest on these important topics. When at a protest make sure you have our printable know your rights card with you, and bring one of our protest signs with you or make your own.
• Attend Public Townhalls and Community Meetings: Show up to make sure your elected officials know the values of your community. Prepare your own remarks or questions, or stand in solidarity with those who do.
• Be a Voice in Your Community: Put up signs in your local coffee shop, start a community group, hold an event, or write a letter to the editor in your local paper. For more ideas on how to activate your community, join our Community Activator Program.
• Take Action: Find federal and state actions that you can take in our action centers, sign up to receive our action alerts, and follow us on social media for urgent updates (Facebook | Instagram | Threads | X Twitter).
• Support the Organizations in this Fight: We will all need the resources to continue to fight. You can make a donation in support of the ACLU-IL, or find other ways to be involved. And, we encourage you to research local organizations in your area.