It’s no small development that the recent wave of executive orders (EOs) issued by President Trump threatens the fundamental rights of Americans in key areas. Naturally, Trump’s executive orders have sparked widespread shock and deep concern among civic-minded Americans. But there is good news: social justice nonprofit organizations like Michigan United are stepping up to protect vulnerable communities and fight back against policies that undermine basic human rights.
Here’s how these EOs impact people across multiple demographics and how nonprofits empower communities to resist them.
Executive Order: Ending Birthright Citizenship
Trump’s EO, titled “Protecting the Meaning of American Citizenship,” attempts to revoke birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The order directs federal agencies to reinterpret existing laws to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the US to non-citizen parents.
Why It’s Harmful:
This move could create a generation of stateless children and second-class citizens. It contradicts over a century of legal precedent and invites government overreach into the citizenship status of newborns.
How Nonprofits Fight Back:
Michigan United provides legal services to immigrant families, ensuring they understand their rights and have access to legal representation. They also organize community mobilization efforts to challenge discriminatory policies in courts and advocate for state and local protections against federal overreach. Currently, the nonprofit is also offering access to citizenship classes.
Executive Order: Restricting Anti-Discrimination Protections
Trump’s EO rescinds important protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. It strips federal government organizations of their DEI programs, forces noncisgender people to identify as the gender they were assigned at birth on federal forms of identification, and revokes protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in federal prisons.
Why It’s Harmful:
This EO enables discrimination and worse in essential government organizations, documents, and services in a way that deliberately targets already-vulnerable groups. For example, employers across all sectors typically require new hires to present federal identification as part of the onboarding process. This means noncisgender people will be “outed” against their will in a professional setting, opening themselves to controversy, discrimination, or dismissal not just in federal government workplaces, but every legal workplace in the US.
How Nonprofits Fight Back:
Michigan United partners with civil rights organizations to push for inclusive state policies, protect LGBTQ rights, and ensure access to key resources. They offer legal assistance for discrimination cases and advocate for city and state laws that counteract federal rollbacks on rights.
Executive Order: Restricting Access to Abortion and Reproductive Care
Trump’s EO prohibits federal funding for reproductive health organizations, restricts access to abortion medication, and allows states to ban abortion outright. It claims to “enforce the Hyde Amendment,” which prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion care, has already been in place since 1977, and was never violated by the Biden administration.
Why It’s Harmful:
This policy disproportionately affects low-income women and women of color in states that currently ban or heavily restrict access to abortion, reducing their ability to receive safe medical care and exercise basic reproductive freedoms. Although the Hyde Amendment itself has not changed, the EO to “enforce” it may make it more difficult for states that do legalize abortions to allocate Medicaid funds in order to provide them.
How Nonprofits Fight Back:
Michigan United provides community education on reproductive rights, connects individuals with healthcare resources, and fights for state-level protections to ensure access to all reproductive services. They also work with healthcare advocacy groups to challenge restrictive policies in court.
Executive Order: Dismantling Environmental Regulations
Trump’s EO, titled “Ensuring American Energy Dominance,” again withdraws the US from the Paris Climate Accords and rolls back critical environmental protections in multiple other arenas, including the Clean Power Plan, methane emissions regulations, and climate considerations in federal decision-making. It also revokes restrictions on oil and gas drilling and weakens oversight of pollution control.
Why It’s Harmful:
These rollbacks allow fossil fuel industries to operate with fewer restrictions, leading to increased carbon emissions, air pollution, and the degradation of public lands. In addition to the further destruction of our environment and natural resources, these actions disproportionately harm marginalized communities, who are often the most vulnerable to climate disasters and pollution-related health issues.
How Nonprofits Fight Back:
Michigan United leads climate justice initiatives that educate communities on the impact of environmental deregulation and mobilize them to advocate for clean energy policies. They support local and state-level environmental protections, ensuring communities have access to legal and legislative resources to challenge corporate polluters. Additionally, they work with grassroots organizers to push for equitable environmental policies that protect frontline communities from the worst effects of climate change.
Executive Order: Cutting Medicaid and Affordable Care Act Protections
Trump’s EO rolls back Medicaid expansion, reinstates work requirements for benefits, and weakens protections for preexisting conditions.
Why It’s Harmful:
Millions of low-income Americans, particularly seniors and disabled individuals, risk losing access to affordable healthcare. The rollback of protections for preexisting conditions threatens the well-being of countless families.
How Nonprofits Fight Back:
Michigan United works with healthcare coalitions to advocate for state funding to cover healthcare gaps left by federal cutbacks. They provide assistance with Medicaid applications and organize campaigns to educate the public on their healthcare rights and how to navigate new restrictions.
The Role of Nonprofits in Protecting Communities
Social justice nonprofits like Michigan United are vital in resisting harmful policies and protecting vulnerable communities. Through legal advocacy, grassroots organizing, public education, and policy lobbying, they help individuals understand their rights, challenge unjust laws, and push for state-level protections that counteract federal rollbacks.
To support organizations like Michigan United, individuals can donate, volunteer, and advocate for policies that protect fundamental human rights. As Trump’s executive orders threaten to reshape American society in dangerous ways, these nonprofits remain a beacon of hope for communities fighting for justice.
Fight for Your Rights With Michigan United
Michigan United is a broad, statewide coalition working to reform our broken healthcare and immigration systems, protect our environment, end mass incarceration, and make essential services accessible to all.
We are at a critical moment in our nation’s history as we prepare to confront the troubling realities of our political climate and Trump’s executive orders. Our democracy and basic rights are under siege. If you’re wondering what you can do, Michigan United is here for you. We have campaigns in place to protect Michiganders from all forms of injustice, which means you can make a difference in all the areas that matter to you, right here, all in one place.
We are a hub for people-centered leadership development, issue organizing, and civic power-building. We are movement builders.
Ready to do something now? Join us by becoming a member, volunteering with us, or getting involved with one of our projects. Start driving the reality of change today!
