ACLU Marks the First Year of Trump's Return with New Report and Video Series

"Defeat, Delay, Dilute: ACLU Versus President Trump" report examines the pivotal civil rights and civil liberties attacks from the president and what they mean for the administration's priorities in 2026

Portraits of Protest video series puts a face on those attacks by featuring the everyday people who fought back

NEW YORK - January 15, 2026 - Ahead of the anniversary of President Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, the American Civil Liberties Union today marked the first year of Trump's second term by releasing a new report titled "Defeat, Delay, Dilute: ACLU Versus President Trump," which examines the organization's successes and challenges against the Trump administration across three main issue areas - safeguarding free speech, protecting immigrants' rights, and defending equal protection under the law - and what they mean for the administration's 2026 agenda.

As the report details, the ACLU has filed over 200 legal actions, with an almost 65 success rate in defeating, delaying, or diluting federal policies. Additionally, the report outlines the ACLU's Firewall for Freedom effort, which has passed more than 80 policies, including 51 state laws, using the power of state and local lawmakers to push back against the Trump agenda.

Alongside the report, the ACLU also released Portraits of Protest, a video series that details the individual stories of people who courageously challenged President Trump's efforts to suppress their speech, identity, and advocacy. Together, the report and video series reveal the strategy, strength, and fortitude necessary to beat back the Trump administration's unlawful and unprecedented attacks on our most fundamental rights and freedoms.

"One year into the Trump administration, there's one big take-away: We are only in a constitutional crisis if we allow it. President Trump's return to the White House unleashed near daily efforts to dismantle civil rights and civil liberties, intimidate marginalized communities, and upend the rule of law. Our response reflected a credo we've held for 106 years: Rights endure not because leaders respect them, but because people and institutions insist on enforcing them," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU. "Democracy doesn't defend itself - people defend democracy. And together, progress is possible even in the toughest of times."

A few key takeaways from "Defeat, Delay, Dilute: ACLU Versus President Trump" include:

• Defeating the Trump Administration Stopped Unprecedented Damage: Lawsuits got the ACLU crucial wins. When Trump unlawfully used the Alien Enemies Act to accelerate mass deportations, we successfully defended due process. And, when Trump deployed federal troops and National Guard units to cities across the country, we and partners took action that led to a string of court victories and Trump abandoning efforts in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon.
• Delaying Implementation Provided Thousands with Temporary Relief: Many of theACLU's lawsuits secured nationwide preliminary relief for people who needed support - whether for the over 93,000 babies born since the ACLU temporarily blocked President Trump's executive over dissolving birthright citizenship, for the trans and intersex people who needed access to accurate sex designations on their passports, and for the schools whose funding was threatened from the administration's attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These wins helped those on the frontline of President Trump's attacks.
• Diluting the Administration's Worst Policies Minimized Harm: While no organization could prevent every one of President Trump's policies from taking effect, the strategic efforts by the ACLU's affiliates helped enact dozens of executive, legislative, or municipal actions to blunt the administration's attacks. The ACLU's network worked with lawmakers to pass Freedom to Read Acts into law to protect students' right to learn, and, at the federal level, prevented an attack on voter registration that would have disenfranchised millions.

At the forefront of the ACLU's work in the courts, streets, and halls of power, were clients, volunteers, advocates, and everyday people showing up and speaking out for our constitutional rights and the future of our country. The ACLU's Portraits of Protest video series features five such people in communities from New York to Georgia to Kansas who were not deterred by the Trump administration's attempts to deport, intimidate, or censor them and others.

Below are quotes from the people featured in the ACLU's Portraits of Protest video series, which can also be watched here:

• Mohsen Mahdawi, student activist for Palestinian rights and client in Mahdawi v. Trump: "I was merely detained for practicing my free speech - one of the most fundamental and important rights in this country. ... There is no power that can silence the people."
• Tom Alonzo, veteran and participant at ACLU-organized lobby day on federal troop deployment: "I think everybody has a role to play. We're capable of greatness, and we're capable of compassion."
• Zaya Perysian, trans activist and client in Orr v. Trump:"No matter what this administration tries to do, I'm still going to be me. I'm going to exist."
• Suzanne Potts, No Kings organizer based in Georgia: "One person can make a difference. ... I go to bed knowing that I did something to fight this administration and something good for my soul."
• Maribel Hernandez Rivera, national director of immigrant community strategies at the ACLU: "I lead the Know Your Rights work at the ACLU ... that's my mission - to make sure that we all know that information. We have people everywhere at the ready to speak up, to pick up the phone and make a phone call and say, no, not under my watch."

The press release is available online here.