ACLU organizer talks civil rights and how to protect your community at Fountain Street Church - The Collegiate Live

Last week, the political activism group Indivisible Greater Grand Rapids invited the American Civil Liberties Union community organizer, Lily Eggers, to talk about the current state of our civil rights and how to protect them. Held at the Fountain Street Church, members of the community were invited to learn about the current status of immigration, LGBTQ+, voting rights and Medicaid.

The ACLU is a non-partisan non-profit organization established in 1959, dedicated to expanding civil rights. They have offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit. The organization exists along with 53 other affiliates across the nation, as well as the national organization.

“Our legal teams are working through the courts both on the state and federal level to push back against the work of this administration,” Eggers, who has been working with the ACLU since 2022, said. “Our legislative teams are working in Congress as well as state legislatures across the country and our organizing teams are organizing locally to build power across the state and advocate at the local, state and federal level.”

She also explained her role as a community organizer and the importance of her position.

“One of the main functions of the role is to reach out to the community and make sure that they are aware that the ACLU of Michigan does have a presence in West Michigan and are here to support the community and we are every day advocating for folks in our community,” Eggers said. “I’m also a Grand Rapids resident and so it’s always nice to actually be out and see people and just educate them about what is going on in our community, and our state, and in our country, and what they can actually do to respond. Also, what they can do proactively to protect others in our community.”

Unlike the IGGR’s last event, which drew thousands of demonstrators downtown for the No Kings Protest on June 14—this event included a presentation with information that could make just as much of an impact.

Immigration

The Alien Enemies Act is a piece of federal legislation from 1798 that gives the president the power to detain or deport citizens who are from a nation the U.S. is at war with or risk invasion of. The Trump administration has been invoking this to justify the deportation of certain individuals.

Local law enforcement agencies all over the U.S. have been forming 287 G-agreement partnerships with Immigration Customs Enforcement to detain— and sometimes even capture— immigrants in the community. There are three different versions of this agreement and five have been finalized in Michigan.

The five counties in Michigan who have all signed 287 G-agreements:

The state of Michigan has also re-opened the North Lake Correctional Facility, which is serving as a new federal immigration detention facility. There are 1,800 beds, and it is the largest center in the Midwest. This facility is owned by the GEO group, which Eggers reported “has a history of neglect and abuse of people it detains, as well as its employees, and have also repeatedly practiced the denial of detained immigrants from their access to attorneys.”

According to Eggers, the most urgent call to action is fighting against House Bills 4336 and 4337. These bills specifically create criminal penalties for individuals or organizations that knowingly assist or encourage immigrants without legal status. The passage of these bills would mean that giving someone a ride or buying them a meal could lead to criminal penalties.

What the ACLU has done:

–Filed numerous lawsuits on the federal level to address the current human rights violations for immigrants.

-Focusing on the detentions at Guantanamo-Bay and the usage of the Alien Enemies Act.

–Calling on Michigan’s congressional delegation to use their oversight authority to promote transparency and guard against human rights abuses in NLCF.

LGBTQ+ Updates

Kingdom v. Trump – A federal district court judge last week granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order that bans gender affirming care in federal prisons. There are about 2,000 transgender people in federal detention that need access to that care.

Orr v. Trump challenges the policy requiring that passports only bear a person’s sex designation assigned at birth. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that pauses the enforcement of that policy for all transgender, non-binary and intersex U.S. passport holders on June 17.

The Supreme Court issued a ruling in the U.S. v. Skrmetti case, which was a challenge brought by three transgender adolescents in a Memphis-based medical provider against a Tennessee law that banned trans-affirming hormone therapy for youth. The Supreme Court agreed, leaving anyone under the age of 18 in Tennessee unable to access gender affirming care.

In Michigan, gender-affirming care is still accessible, because it is protected under the Elliot-Larson Civil Rights Act, which was expanded in 2023 to include transgender people, as well as protecting sexual orientation and gender identity.

Michigan’s House Republicans introduced a package of bills targeting trans youth. House bills 4466 and 4467 will have a hearing in the Michigan house committee on health policy. House bills 4066 and 4469 had their hearing in the house government operations committee and were passed, which means they will go to the floor for a full vote. These bills are said to ban transgender athletes from participating in K-12 sports. To date, there have been two reported individuals in this category.

Voting Rights

What is the Save Act?

The Save Act is a piece of federal legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship for voting, now being considered by the Senate.

“We feel pretty good that our two senators from Michigan are going to oppose the Save Act, but we still encourage you to reach out to them and thank them for that and also encourage them to hold that line,” Eggers said.

Similar legislation was passed in Michigan, called the House Joint Resolution B, but did not have enough votes to pass the House floor. Two ballot initiatives— the only other way to change state constitutions— have surfaced after this vote, aiming to change the law so voters would have to bring proof of citizenship to access their right. Language for these has been approved and petition signatures are able to start being collected. The ACLU advises that before signing anything, you ask to read the petition language to make sure you know exactly what your signature is contributing to.

MEDICAID

Medicaid is the nation’s largest provider of health insurance, and now is being threatened by a bill that would cut its budget by $6 billion. Currently, in the Senate the bill will go back to the House for a vote and could take away healthcare services from millions of people, including people with disabilities.

“These cuts would wreak havoc on our already strained healthcare system,” Eggers said, “and threaten equal opportunity, dignity and personal liberty for millions in our country. It is honestly the difference between life or death for so many.”

What would this mean for Michigan?

-More than 2.6 million Michiganders receive Medicaid, including one million children, 30% of rural residents and 60% of people living in nursing homes.

-Medicaid covers 45% of birth costs in the state.

-More than 700,000 individuals would lose their healthcare coverage if the bill is passed.

-If this bill passes, rural hospitals— which are already under financial distress— will be forced to continue to eliminate essential services, like labor and delivery.

-Millions of people with disabilities rely on Medicaid for healthcare services that allow them to live and work in their communities and would be impacted.

What is the ACLU doing?

-Continually asking people to contact their representatives and senators in Congress to oppose cuts to Medicaid.

-Hosting weekly phone banks throughout the summer. Every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. the ACLU will meet virtually to call Michiganders and patch them through to their representatives, with the message to protect Medicaid (full training is provided and ALCU representatives are available to answer any questions.

With so many executive orders, bills, lawsuits and movements, it can feel daunting for busy college students to try and help the community, but Eggers said that all contributions can make an impact.

“I think some of the best things you can do is look around you and get a sense of who is doing what in your community,” Eggers said. “There are so many college groups that do things and there are also so many groups outside of the school that are taking action right now. So I would say look around you, go to trusted organizations and partners— of course, we would love to have you at the ACLU of Michigan and there’s always things to do and get involved and advocate.”

Eggers said to “lean into things you have not done before, but use those as an opportunity to try something new, gain more experience, and broaden your options for advocacy. It doesn’t matter who you are, we all have something we can contribute.”

Students who need help finding their district representative can visit The Michigan House of Representatives website. ACLU links:

– Contact Congress

–Protect Immigrants in the North Lake Correctional Facility

–Save Medicaid Now

–Stop the SAVE Act

–Protect Our Courts

Get Involved

-Thursday, June 26 from 6:30-8pm: Statewide Webinar – Supreme Court Review in U.S. v Skrmetti

-Wednesday, July 16 from 7:00-8:00pm: ACLU of Michigan Save Medicaid Townhall