Rabat – Amid increasing migratory pressure on Spain, Donald Trump gave Spain his opinion on how to curb undocumented movements.
Trump suggested that the Spanish government should follow his policies regarding migration and build a wall across the Sahara desert.
Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell shared Trump’s suggestion at a lunch event in Madrid earlier this week, according to the Guardian.
When Borrell argued that the Sahara stretched for 3,000 miles, Trump responded, “The Sahara border can’t be bigger than our border with Mexico.”
Trump and his wall promise has sparked a concern since his US election campaign in 2016.
Trump vowed that he would build a “big beautiful wall” across the US-Mexico border, which is 2,000 miles long.
In June, Trump received international backlash when the US government separated migrating children from parents, some asylum seekers after crossing the border. Some parents were sent to jail while their children were held in foster care as “unaccompanied minors.”
The border issue was also a concern in the United 2026 World Cup joint bid between the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Fans and international media wondered how the US would manage the issue of borders as a host of the 2026 World Cup.
The Spanish government has not yet commented on Trump’s suggestion, but, a spokesman for the foreign ministry confirmed the foreign minister’s remarks about the conversation, but said, “We won’t be making any further comment on the minister’s remarks.”
In recent months, Spain has been complaining about the surge of undocumented migrants who take hazardous journeys to reach the Eldorado.
A report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that 77,555 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2018. Out of those, 33,611 came through Spain.
The report shows Spain as the leading destination for migration in 2018.
Spain has outpaced, according to the report, Italy and Greec, with over 43 percent of all undocumented migrations from the Mediterranean in 2018.
