I still remember the anxiety I felt before hitting “send” on the mass email to legal clinics and pro-bono attorneys around the country. “URGENT — Protect refugees arriving at airports,” read the subject line, with a call to be prepared to head to international airports to provide legal support to refugees who may be detained upon landing in the United States.

That was Jan. 25, 2017. Within 24 hours, more than 1,600 volunteers had responded — just in time. On Jan. 27, a newly inaugurated President Trump announced what came to be called his "Muslim ban," affecting even thousands of travelers who had their permission to enter the U.S. revoked while they were already on flights here. These were mothers, fathers and children, some who had lived in the U.S. for years, while others were just arriving as refugees to restart their lives.

It was pure chaos, but the outpouring of support made all the difference. Instead of a victory lap for Trump’s politics of hate, we demonstrated that Americans show up for their neighbors and don’t cower in the face of intimidation. This is what got us through the first Trump administration.

I’m proud that the organization I founded played a key leadership role in the fight against Trump’s Muslim ban. We filed

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