Democracy Defense

Overview

We are in a generational fight to protect our rights, freedoms, and democracy. Our communities, and our democracy, are under attack, and NILC is committed to serving as the first and last line of defense.

The Trump administration’s brazen lawlessness, its assaults on our communities, its eagerness to misuse the U.S. armed forces, and its aggressive pursuit of an extreme anti-immigrant agenda all serve Trump’s goal of becoming America’s first dictator, and implementing an authoritarian form of government.

The administration has started by attacking immigrants, and history shows us this is only the beginning of a series of attacks that will impact everyone, not just immigrants. Since taking office, Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport immigrants without due process; arrested foreign students for protected First Amendment activities like protesting; and sent masked ICE officers to detain people – even U.S. citizens – because of how they look or speak. Trump is just getting started.

That’s why we must take action now, and use every tool possible to defend democracy and defeat authoritarianism in our country once and for all. We need to come together to protect our democratic institutions and values so that everyone – no matter their background or where they’re from – is protected under the law. We know that together, we are stronger and must act now to defend our increasingly fragile democracy before it vanishes entirely.

Why It Matters

The United States’ descent into authoritarianism impacts all of us. Families who’ve built their lives here are being torn apart without due process, and even U.S. citizens are being kidnapped and disappeared by masked immigration officers.

The Trump administration is illegally laying claim to extraordinary powers by asserting non-existent wars and emergencies. Trump aims to create a permanent police state to carry out the president’s mass deportation plan and silence political dissent along the way. Congress, meanwhile, is funding these authoritarian actions, while the Supreme Court is largely rubberstamping them.

This should alarm all of us. NILC and our partners aren’t backing down, and it will take all of us to stop this power grab and protect our communities.

Examples of Our Work

Trump and the MAGA right’s unconstitutional assault on immigrants is an attack on all of us. We refuse to let fear win. NILC and our partners are locked in and ready for the fight of our lifetime. We’re defending our immigrant neighbors and our democracy with everything we’ve got – and we won’t back down. Learn about some of our work:

• California Nurses Association et al. v. Mullin et al. and NAACP et al. v DHS et al. both protect the right to vote by challenging the Trump administration’s voter intimidation tactics.
• Harris et al. v. Lee et al. challenges Governor Bill Lee’s unlawful deployment of the Tennessee National Guard as a police force in Memphis at President Trump’s request.
• Following the deployment of the National Guard across Southern California, NILC filed a FOIA to understand the role the National Guard played in immigration and narcotics enforcement actions.
• NILC creates resources and tools for communities on the ground to understand their rights and to get involved in the fight to protect democracy.