The American Civil Liberties Union raised more than $24m this weekend, which is five times what it would raise in a single year.

The non-profit, non-partisan organization found itself going head-to-head against Presidential Donald Trump, who on Friday signed an executive order barring nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

The donations from 356,306 people online averaged $68 per person.

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A large sum: The American Civil Liberties Union received more than $24m following its legal battle with Donald Trump and his executive order banning immigrants from 7 countries this weekend

The donations from 356,306 people online averaged $68 per person. Pictured: ACLU executive director Anthony Romero

CNN commentator Brian Stelter tweeted that this sum was five times what the organization would raise in a single year.

The union had, as of Saturday morning, also welcomed 150,000 new members, Yahoo reported.

The group's membership has grown since November - when Trump was elected - by more than 100 percent, from 400,000 to more than 1m.

ACLU's executive director Anthony Romero told the news site: 'People are fired up and want to be engaged. What we've seen is an unprecedented public reaction to the challenges of the Trump administration.'

National political director Faiz Shakir added: 'I hope Trump enjoys losing. He's going to lose so much we're going to get sick and tired of his losing.'

Anthony Romero said: 'People are fired up and want to be engaged. What we've seen is an unprecedented public reaction to the challenges of the Trump administration'

Trump's order called 'Protection Of The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States,' prohibits entry to the United States to all nationals of seven Muslim-majority states: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 120 days.

It also bans citizens from these countries from securing a visa for 90 days.

A senior Homeland Security official told Reuters that roughly 375 travelers were immediately affected by the order.

Out of the 375, 109 were in transit to the US and denied entry.

Another 173 people were stopped by airlines from boarding an aircraft to the US.

An additional 81 travelers with green cards or special immigrant visas received waivers.

The stay issued Saturday evening by federal judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn blocks the situation pending a permanent ruling.

The stay issued Saturday evening by federal judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn blocks the situation pending a permanent ruling.

The ACLU lawyers who handled the case also filed a motion for class certification, which means other people affected by the order will be able to benefit from the stay as part of a class action lawsuit.

The Trump administration will likely appeal the ruling and other stays ordered in states including Virginia and Massachusetts.

Donnelly's order applied specifically to those immediately and directly affected by the order, i.e. those who had already been granted visas and are now seeing them taken away retroactively.

But the ACLU is further arguing that Trump's entire order, which prioritizes Christian refugees, is unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

It remains to be seen how the legal controversy will be resolved.

WHAT IS THE EMERGENCY STAY? The emergency stay issued Saturday evening by a federal court is a temporary measure that preserves the status quo pending a permanent ruling. It means that none of the travelers currently held at airports across the nation can be deported back to their countries. That is because Judge Ann Donnelly ruled that doing so would cause the travelers irreparable harm. The stay does not, however, mean that the travelers have to be let into the United States. It is unclear what will happen to those detained. The stay is not a ruling on Donald Trump's executive order enforcing the immigration ban. Lawyers had filed a petition on behalf of two out of 12 refugees detained at JFK airport. The men, two Iraqi nationals, had valid visas. One of them had worked for the US government for years. ACLU attorneys had filed a petition on their behalf, but the stay is effective nationwide. The lawyers who handled the case have also filed for class certification, which means other people affected by the order will be able to benefit from the stay as part of a class action. Advertisement