It has been two months since federal authorities were sued for dragging their feet in responding to demands for records of persons detained under President Donald Trump's travel ban. But the wait may grow longer because of an unusual motion by the U.S. Department of Justice to coordinate 13 lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation.

The DOJ's maneuver drew a sharp rebuke from lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union, one of whom called it a “misfit of a motion” and a veiled attempt at putting the requests on hold indefinitely.

The legal battle stemmed from federal enforcement of the travel ban while it was in force after Trump signed the executive order aimed at halting travel from several Muslim-majority countries and before federal judges halted its effect. During that time, many travelers were detained at U.S. airports, and Freedom of Information Act requests were aimed at gaining access to records of those detentions. The lawsuits were filed by 43 ACLU chapters, including those in Florida, Georgia, Texas and California, in April after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection failed to respond to requests made on Feb. 2.