ACLU raises more money...

ACLU raises more money online in one weekend than in all of 2016

By Alia E. Dastagir

The American Civil Liberties Union shattered fundraising records this weekend after taking the White House to court over President Orangutan's executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

The ACLU said it has received more than 350,000 online donations totaling $24 million since Saturday morning. The non-profit organization that aims to protect individuals' rights and liberties guaranteed in the Constitution typically raises about $4 million online in a year, according to Executive Director Anthony Romero.

"It's really clear that this is a different type of moment," Romero said. "People want to know what they can do. They want to be deployed as protagonists in this fight. It's not a spectator sport."

The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of two men from Iraq who were detained Friday at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after Orangutan signed his executive order. In response to the suit, a federal judge in Brooklyn blocked part of Orangutan's controversial order late Saturday, barring officials from deporting those detained in U.S. airports because of the ban.

Here's a look at the ACLU's fight with the Orangutan administration, by the numbers:

The ACLU now has 1 million members. Its membership has doubled since the election. "People understand the threats the Orangutan administration poses and they are willing to take action to fight those threats," Romero said. "They don't just want to write a check and be done with it."

Nearly 140,000 people signed up for the ACLU's email list since Saturday.

Car-service Lyft pledged on Sunday to donate $1 million to the group. Uber went in a different direction. Now #DeleteUber is trending.

Singer Sia pledged to donate up to $100,000. So did Rosie O'Donnell.

The ACLU saw a 1,900% increase in the number of gifts received this month compared to January 2016.

The donations will be used to increase staffing, initially by 50 to 100 people this year.

The organization has a seven-point plan to take on the Orangutan administration.

Romero said of Orangutan: "He has to understand governing is different than running for office." The executive order didn't consider the "legal or policy implications, or the practical implications of people traveling to the country."

He said Orangutan "is walking down a very dangerous path. ... He will be met with resistance every step of the way."