The White House is reportedly considering imposing a travel ban on Guatemalans if their Central American country does not take more decisive action to reduce the number of migrants traveling to the U.S., NPR reported Thursday .

President Donald Trump promised "severe" action against Guatemala after the country's highest court earlier this month blocked its government from inking an asylum deal with the U.S. known as a "safe third country" agreement. The deal would have required migrants from El Salvador and Honduras to seek asylum in Guatemala rather than in the U.S.

Trump has suggested that the court was not operating independently of the government and cast the decision as a handy excuse for the country to avoid signing the deal. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has criticized the court's decision.

"Guatemala, which has been forming Caravans and sending large numbers of people, some with criminal records, to the United States, has decided to break the deal they had with us on signing a necessary Safe Third Agreement," Trump tweeted Tuesday. "Now we are looking at the 'BAN,' ... Tariffs, Remittance Fees or all of the above."

It's not clear what kind of "ban" the president was referring to. Trump on Wednesday told reporters the U.S. was "looking at something very severe with respect to Guatemala."

Any travel ban would rely on the same powers Trump used when he banned travel from several majority-Muslim nations.

The president's threats against Guatemala are reminiscent of those he issued against Mexico earlier this year. Trump said the U.S would impose tariffs on the country if Mexico did not take action to tamp down on the number of migrants showing up at the U.S. border with Mexico. He has since backed off that threat after Mexico significantly stepped up its enforcement along its borders.

