Appeal in Guatemala seeks to nullify asylum deal with U.S.

GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemala's human rights prosecutor is asking the country's constitutional Court to nullify an agreement President Jimmy Morales' government signed with Washington on asylum for migrants.

The agreement would make it harder for many migrants to request asylum in the U.S.

Monday's appeal by Jordan Rodas argues that the deal was signed under threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, who'd warned of possible reprisals against Guatemala.

Rodas is also asking for the removal and investigation of Foreign Minister Enrique Degenhart, who signed the document in Washington last week.

Before the signing, the constitutional Court had ordered the government not to strike such a deal -- a ruling it ignored.

Presidential spokesman Alfredo Brito says Morales' legal team is studying whether the agreement needs to be considered by Congress.

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  Demonstrators demand the resignation of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, featured in the poster that reads in Spanish "Traitor," outside the Presidential House in Guatemala City, Saturday, July 27, 2019. (AP Photo/ Oliver de Ros)