Donald Trump told Spain to tackle migration crisis 'by building wall across Sahara', foreign minister reveals

Donald Trump told Spain to deal with the Mediterranean migration crisis by building a giant wall across the Sahara desert, it has been revealed.

Foreign minister Josep Borrell said the US president shrugged off concerns about building a wall through 3,000 miles of desert, reportedly saying: “The Sahara border can’t be bigger than our border with Mexico.”

Mr Borrell, a former president of the European Parliament, revealed details of the conversation at an event in Madrid this week which has been widely reported in the Spanish media.

The conversation is believed to have taken place in June when Mr Borrell travelled to Washington for the visit of Spain’s King and Queen, although he did not confirm this.

Spain has found itself bearing the brunt of Europe’s refugee crisis, due to its close proximity with North Africa and the existence of its two enclaves on the Moroccan coast.

One of Mr Trump’s flagship policies while campaigning for the 2016 presidential election was to build a wall along the US’s southern border with Mexico to prevent illegal migration – with Mexico having to pay for it.

But progress has been hit by disputes over funding – Mexico has refused to pay for it – and opposition from Democrats in Congress.

The length of the US-Mexico border is less than 2,000 miles, while the Sahara runs for around 3,000 miles from east to west.

Building a wall in the African desert to stop sub-Saharan migrants making their way to Europe would be further complicated by the fact Spain does not own the land and would therefore need the cooperation of foreign nations.