One hundred days into the second Trump administration, it’s clear that we are living through an explicit assault on civil rights and liberties, and democracy itself. The chaos, cruelty, and erosion of public trust are not accidents. They are features of a strategy designed to destabilize and exhaust people, weaken civil society, and divide communities. We have seen direct attacks on the rule of law, including attacks on judges, lawyers, and public officials who challenge his extreme anti-civil rights agenda. We are living through a calculated campaign to make people give up before the fight even begins – but we are stronger than that. We will not take the bait, and we will continue to fight for our most fundamental freedoms.
The ACLU has been fighting back – and will continue to – at every level. Nationally, the ACLU has brought over 100 legal actions against the Trump administration, challenging attacks on immigrants, reproductive freedom, DEI, the right to protest, and more. Here in Connecticut, we are proud to be on the front lines of that resistance.
In the past 100 days, we filed a major class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attack on international students, winning reinstatement of our student clients' F-1 statuses and preserving their right to continue their education. We have been working with several wide-ranging coalitions to advocate for a number of initiatives to protect and advance civil rights and liberties in Connecticut – including a strengthened Trust Act to protect immigrant communities, an updated shield law to protect necessary telehealth services across state lines, full funding for the Connecticut Voting Rights Act, and immediate implementation of no-excuse absentee voting. Our team is working tirelessly to advance these policies, uplift our partners, expand community outreach, and share Know Your Rights guidance.
Since Trump was first elected, we have trained and empowered over 5,000 people across Connecticut to know their rights and defend their communities. We will not bend to the threats of the Trump administration. People are organizing, speaking out, and meeting this moment with the strength it demands.
Now more than ever, we must stand together across communities, refusing to allow wedge issues to divide us. That means understanding that an attack on one group's rights is an attack on all of us.
We must not acquiesce in advance, as stated plainly in Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny. We must not pre-comply with unjust laws or oppressive practices. We must stand as strong and united as we did during the first Trump presidency, knowing that courage and solidarity are our greatest weapons against authoritarianism. Every act of resistance you take matters – whether that may be joining us at the Capitol, hosting a resistance event, or investing in our work.
If we remain united, active, and stand firm in our values, no matter how fierce the storm, we will not only survive this moment, but we will build something stronger on the other side.