Celebrities, Tech VIPs Drive ACLU's $24M Weekend Surge

Sia, Kal Penn and Google are among the VIPs driving donations to the civil liberties group

The American Civil Liberties Union raised more than $24 million over the weekend in a surge of online donations following President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, NBC News reported.

The organization typically raises a total of about $4 million online annually. 

Celebrities including singer Sia and actor Kal Penn appealed for donations on Twitter, while Google created a $4 million crisis fund for the ACLU, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, International Rescue Committee and UNHCR, USA Today reported. The tech giant set aside $2 million in donations that can be matched in employee donations totaling $4 million.

The ACLU also said its membership had doubled since the election and is now at more than 1 million members.

The group's complaint was one of several over the weekend successful in temporarily blocking deportations under Trump's new national security initiative.

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