Migration? Just build a wall across Sahara

DONALD TRUMP told the Spanish foreign minister he had a foolproof way to deal with the Mediterranean migration crisis – build a wall across the Sahara.

Josep Borrell, a former president of the European Parliament, revealed the conversation this week, explaining how Mr Trump shrugged off his scepticism about building a wall through the desert.

“The Sahara border can’t be bigger than our border with Mexico,” he reportedly said, apparently unaware of the size of the desert.

The US-Mexico border is 3,145km wide, while the Sahara desert stretches for 5,000km.

Mr Borrell told the story at a lunch event in Madrid this week, in comments that were widely reported by the Spanish media.

“We can confirm that’s what the minister said, but we won’t be making any further comment on the minister’s remarks,” said a spokesman for the Spanish foreign ministry.

The minister offered no further details about when the conversation might have taken place but it is believed to have been in June when he travelled to Washington for the White House visit of Spain’s king and queen.

Mr Trump won the election in 2016 promising to build a wall along America’s southern border with Mexico – and that Mexico would pay for it.

The plan has been complicated by funding disputes, complex property transactions and the opposition of Democrats in Congress. Mexico has refused to pay for it.

Building a wall through the Sahara would be more complicated still, given that Spain would need the co-operation of foreign nations to build on their territory.

Spain has two small enclaves on the north African coast, Ceuta and Melilla. They have become magnets for African migrants seeking a better life in Europe and refugees fleeing persecution and conflict.