Germany’s Merkel speaks against walls on Mexico visit

MEXICO CITY – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said during a state visit to Mexico that countries should focus on improving life for people fleeing their homes rather than building walls.

Merkel spoke Saturday in response to a question about migration. She was speaking of Europe’s handling of migrants from Africa and Syria, but coming in Mexico the parallels to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to wall the entire U.S.-Mexico border were unavoidable.

Merkel has been an outspoken advocate of more generous migrant policies in Europe. She says countries must work against what causes people to abandon their homes.

The U.S. Congress denied Trump’s initial request of $2.6 billion to begin building a stretch of border wall. His first full budget requests $1.6 billion for about 74 miles of new and replacement wall.