Peruvian President criticizes US proposal to separate immigrant families

Lima: Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski criticized a proposal being considered by the Trump administration to separate women and children crossing illegally into the United States, saying it was "something that shouldn`t be happening in the 21st century."

Speaking to foreign media on Thursday, Kuczynski also reiterated that he told US President Donald Trump in a White House meeting last month that he opposed Trump`s proposed wall along the US-Mexico border.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration confirmed a Reuters report it was considering separating parents and children who enter illegally from Mexico in a bid to deter the dangerous journey.

"I don`t want to provoke controversy but for me separating families is something that shouldn`t be happening in the 21st century, and the wall either," Kuczynski said in Spanish. "I told the US president that."

Kuczynski, a former US citizen and an ardent defender of open economies, has been one of the few leaders of Washington`s traditional allies in Latin America to openly oppose Trump`s stance on immigration and trade.

Kuczynski previously compared Trump`s proposed border wall to the Berlin Wall and joked he would sever ties with the United States if Trump, a Republican, won last year`s election.

He has since praised the Peru-US relationship under Trump and said the US president had helped firm up global prices for copper, zinc and other minerals that Peru exports.