Trump 'wanted moat filled with snakes, alligators' along Mexico border to stop migrants
President Donald Trump reportedly wanted a snake-filled moat and an electrified barbed wire along the US-Mexico border in an effort to deter illegal immigrants from entering the country. Reports state that the president ordered his aides to provide him with an estimated cost for a prospective massive trench along some parts of the 2,000-mile border.
The New York Times printed an adapted extract from an upcoming book, 'Border Wars: Inside Trump's Assault on Immigration,' by NYT reporters Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear on Wednesday, October 2
Trump, according to New York Times reporters, considered filling that trench with deadly snakes or alligators to ward off migrants attempting to cross the border illegally.
The Republican reportedly also proposed for the border wall to be electrified along with spikes on top of the barrier that could pierce human flesh. He allegedly made the proposal while he was "furious" during Oval Office meetings in March.
His aides reportedly were left stunned when he ordered in a meeting that the entire border should completely be closed by noon the next day.
His advisors promptly warned him of the drastic repercussions of such a move that would leave thousands of US tourists stranded in Mexico and cripple the economic relations between Mexico and the United States.
After the warning, the president swore and fumed, saying: "You are making me look like an idiot! I ran on this. It's my issue." The construction of the controversial border wall between the two countries was Trump's signature promise during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Shortly after the meeting, Trump had publicly suggested that the US Border Guards shoot at rioting immigrants who threw rocks at them.
However, when he was informed by his advisers privately that the measure would be illegal, the president reportedly suggested that the guards could aim at migrants' legs to "slow them down," according to the Times.
The article is based on multiple interviews of dozen White House staffers and Trump officials on conditions of anonymity.
Trump's former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Thomas D. Homan, said: "The president was frustrated. I think he took that moment to hit the reset button. The president wanted it to be fixed quickly."
'Border Wars: Inside Trump's Assault on Immigration' is scheduled to be released on October 8.