The ACLU-D.C. is Prepared to Protect D.C.

But for too long, fearmongering and cruel politics have shaped the U.S. immigration system. Families and individuals fleeing violence and persecution are often met with hostility and unnecessary barriers.  

Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda threatens our neighbors and our communities. From targeting asylum rights to challenging birthright citizenship, these policies undermine constitutional protections and our values. The ACLU-D.C. will continue to fight cruel and unlawful immigration policies, working to protect the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers. Together, we can defend people’s rights and build stable and thriving communities throughout D.C. 

The Trump administration violently attacked racial justice demonstrators outside the White House at Lafayette Square.  

The ACLU-D.C. sued the first Trump administration on behalf of racial justice demonstrators, and we won important changes in federal policy that offer protection against future abuse. We know that our free speech rights are like a muscle that gets stronger the more we use it. Together, we can exercise our right to protest, hold our government accountable, and defend this pillar of our democracy.  

The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments protect everyone’s right to due process of law. This right is not optional in a free and democratic society; it is fundamental. Trump has threatened to root out anyone who he deems a political enemy. But the government is not legally allowed to deny people fair treatment and fair procedures as a punishment for who they are or what they believe. 

The ACLU-D.C. will continue to protect our rights to due process everywhere, including local courts, federal workplaces, and public schools. Together, we can strengthen this cornerstone of both freedom and justice. 

But without D.C. Statehood, the federal government is allowed to intervene in our lives, repeal our laws, and dictate how we spend our local tax dollars. Trump and his anti-D.C. allies have threatened to “take over” D.C. and even to repeal D.C. Home Rule—the 1974 law that allowed District residents to elect our local leaders and to control many of our local affairs. We are now on the defensive, protecting the basic rights and freedoms that are rightfully ours.  

The ACLU-D.C. will continue to defend D.C. Home Rule—our current, if limited, ability to elect local leaders, spend our own tax dollars, and govern ourselves. We are also prepared to keep paving the way for D.C. Statehood to correct the historical wrong that has denied D.C. residents, the majority of whom are Black and brown, the right to govern ourselves and to have an equal say in the direction our country takes.