Lyft Donates $1 Million to ACLU After ‘#MuslimBan’ Protest

Ride-sharing company Lyft has announced that it would donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the wake of weekend protests against President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting travel from several terror-prone countries.

In a letter to customers, Lyft’s co-founders, John Zimmer and Logan Green, wrote (original emphasis):

We created Lyft to be a model for the type of community we want our world to be: diverse, inclusive, and safe.

This weekend, Trump closed the country’s borders to refugees, immigrants, and even documented residents from around the world based on their country of origin. Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity, from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft’s and our nation’s core values. We stand firmly against these actions, and will not be silent on issues that threaten the values of our community.

We know this directly impacts many of our community members, their families, and friends. We stand with you, and are donating $1,000,000 over the next four years to the ACLU to defend our constitution. We ask that you continue to be there for each other – and together, continue proving the power of community.

Lyft’s co-owners provided no evidence that the executive order was based on banning people based on “faith” or any criteria other than national origin — something previous administrations, including President Barack Obama, have done for national security and other reasons.

Rival ride-sharing company Uber came under criticism after it dropped surge pricing for travelers at New York’s JFK airport during Saturday night’s protest. Though Uber apparently intended the gesture as a way to support the demonstration, it inadvertently broke a strike by local taxi drivers that had been organized to protest the executive order.

The ACLU has reportedly garnered more than $20 million in donations as a result of its leadership in filing lawsuits to stay the execution of Trump’s executive order, and its prominent role at the protests.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.