After Spain Faces Severe Migrant Crisis, US President Trump Says, ‘Build A Wall Across Sahara Desert’

Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that United States’ President Donald Trump has recommended to Spain that it should build a border wall across world’s largest desert in order to check the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.

As reported in The Guardian, Josep Borrell relayed what Trump said to attendees at a luncheon in Madrid. Trump’s comments got a wide coverage in the Spanish media where migration is becoming a huge issue.

According to the report, President Trump made these remarks in June when the Spanish Foreign Minister was on an official trip to the White House while accompanying Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia.

Borrell’s comments were confirmed by a foreign ministry official to the Guardian who declined to comment further.

In the meeting, as per Borrell, Trump was dismissive of the concern expressed about plan’s feasibility, “the Sahara border can’t be bigger than our border with Mexico”, he said.

The border between U.S. and Mexico is 2,000 miles (~ 3200 km) long, in contrast, Sahara desert stretches across 11 countries covering a length of 3,000 miles (~4800 km).

Spain has recently seen a surge of Europe-bound migrants, surpassing Greece and Italy as the top destinations. Spain received nearly 33,600 people coming from the sea in the year 2018, as per the data of International Organisation of Migration.

The resources are being strained due to such a large influx of migrants which is giving a boost to right-wing politicians in the country.