US President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to take action against lawyers and legal teams that file lawsuits against immigration measures adopted by his administration, in a new attempt to expand the power of the executive.

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In a memorandum signed on Friday and made public this Saturday by the White House, Trump said that lawyers are fueling “unbridled fraud and claims without merit” in the migration system, Therefore, he ordered the Department of Justice to punish those who engage in what he believes are professional misconduct.

The document also instructs officials of the Departments of Justice and National Security to “impose sanctions on lawyers and firms that file frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious lawsuits against the United States”.

In this regard, he urged the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to refer these firms to the White House for removal of certain credentials and termination of any contracts they may have with the federal government.

The American Union for Civil Liberties (ACLU), which has pushed several lawsuits against Trump’s actions since his return to the White House, condemned the decision in a statement.

Cecillia Wang, ACLU’s national legal director, called the order “another step” by Trump toward dismantling the “rule of law” and an attempt to “silence” lawyers who try to hold the Government accountable when people’s rights are violated.

President Trump has been accused of undermining freedom and democracy through executive actions that expand the power of the executive and defy the separation of powers, encountering resistance in the judiciary. The federal courts are reviewing numerous lawsuits against their measures, particularly in immigration matters, where some judges have already ruled against their policies.

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