ACLU raises $24.1m in one weekend after Trump's 'Muslim ban' – 6 times its yearly average

In the wake of President Donald Trump's travel ban, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has raised six times what it would normally raise in a whole year in just one weekend alone.

The activist group normally raises $4m (3.2m) every year, but over the weekend after the ban was announced (28/29 January) it raised $24.1m.

Officials at the ACLU said they were stunned by the outpouring of financial support.

Many celebrities and Silicon Valley business people were among those offering support. They also encouraged their social media followers to contribute.

Among those were Chris Sacca, Rosie O'Donnell, Sia and Judd Apatow.

The ACLU said the donations came from a total of 356,306 people, many of whom had never supported the group before.

The announcement came as the ACLU and its allies successfully challenged portions of President Trump's travel ban in court.

In a statement, ACLU executive director Anthony Romero thanked those who contributed and said the organisation's work was just beginning.

He said: "The courts acted as the bulwark of our democracy that protects individual rights and guards against the overreaching of an administration that confuses its will for that of the American people's.

"But this is only the beginning – just the first skirmish in a long battle to vigorously defend the Bill of Rights from the authoritarian designs of the Trump administration.

"In fact, right now, our attorneys are on-the-ground in airports across the country working to ensure that detained people have legal counsel and are not removed. Where necessary, we are going to court to file petitions on behalf of those being held.

"You helped bring attention to this. Your voices matter. This is how we can work together.

"Thank you for standing with us. The work continues. But as we were reminded last night, the people united will never be defeated."