The American Civil Liberties Union received more than $24 million in online donations after filing suit over President Trump’s executive order on immigration.
The ACLU reported donations that are six times what the organization normally makes in a year, CNN Money reported.
CNN reported that about 356,306 people donated a total of $24,164,691 to the organization this weekend.
The ACLU received a surge in donations after the Nov. 8 election, receiving over $15 million; but this weekend’s total surpassed that, the Washington Post reported.
In an interview on CNN, an ACLU official described the rise in donations in one word: “Wow.”
Anthony Romero, the ACLU’s executive director, said he’s never seen anything like it.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Romero told Yahoo News. “People are fired up and want to be engaged. What we’ve seen is an unprecedented public reaction to the challenges of the Trump administration.”
Yahoo News reported that membership also surged from 400,000 to more than a million since the election.
Money came in from people who had never donated before and from big names in Hollywood, who Tweeted that they would match donations up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Actress Sarah Paulson pleaded with the audience at the Screen Actors Guild Awards to donate to the ACLU.
“I would like to make a plea for everyone, if they can, any money they have to spare please donate to the ACLU,” she said.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Saturday on behalf of two men who were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as a result of the travel ban, the Hill reported.
A federal judge then issued an emergency stay halting the deportation of individuals who came to the U.S. from the seven countries that were part of the travel ban on refugee applications and visas approved before the executive order was signed.
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