SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (AP) 鈥� On a dirt road below the shrub-dotted hills of Arizona, used a stretch of wall and a pile of steel beams to draw a visual contrast between his approach to securing the border and that of his Democratic opponent, Vice President .
Trump brought along grieving mothers, the sheriff of Cochise County and the head of the Border Patrol union to echo his tough-on-border security message at Thursday's visit, which was themed 鈥淢ake America Safe Again.鈥�
鈥淭o my right is what we call Trump wall. This was wall that was built under President Trump,鈥� said Paul Perez, the president of the Border Patrol union. 鈥淭o my left, we have what we call Kamala wall. It's just sitting there doing nothing, lying down.鈥�
The visit was the fourth in a this week to try to draw the focus away from Democrats鈥� celebration of in Chicago. Speakers at the convention on Wednesday night accused Trump of using the border to stir up his base by demonizing immigrants.
Joining Thursday鈥檚 border visit were the mothers of children who were killed during the Biden administration in cases where the suspects are immigrants in the country illegally. Trump frequently highlights attacks involving immigrants to fuel concerns about the Biden administration policies, though some studies have found that people living in the U.S. illegally are less likely than native-born Americans to have been arrested for violent, drug and property crimes.
鈥淚 just really, really, really want everybody to please take into consideration how important border control is because we鈥檙e losing very innocent people to heinous crimes,鈥� said Alexis Nungaray, the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was in June.
At the Arizona event, snipers stood nearby at an elevated position, their eyes and weapons pointed toward Mexico, a day after Trump held his first outdoor rally since an assassination attempt last month. Security forces were also visible on the Mexican side of the border, including several men with rifles and tactical gear. Others wore uniforms identifying them as members of the Mexican state police.
鈥淲hat Biden and Kamala have done to the families here with me and so many others, thousands and thousands of others, not only killed, but also really badly hurt, badly hurt to a point where they鈥檒l never lead a normal life again. It鈥檚 shameful, and it鈥檚 evil,鈥� Trump said.
The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the wall materials that were lying there at the site during the visit.
In his tour of battleground states this week, Trump has traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina and will hold events in Las Vegas and the Phoenix suburb of Glendale on Friday. His running mate, Sen. of Ohio, spoke at the same location near the border a few weeks ago.
Elected Democratic officials argued Wednesday night at the convention that their party is the one offering real leadership on border issues.
鈥淲hen it comes to the border, hear me when I say, 鈥榊ou know nothing, Donald Trump,'" said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents the border city of El Paso, Texas. 鈥淗e and his Republican imitators see the border and immigration as a political opportunity to exploit instead of an issue to address.鈥�
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, spoke after a video played showing Republican earlier this year. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators and said the bill would have had unanimous support if it weren't for Trump.
Trump was asked about the deal, and he called it 鈥渨eak鈥� and 鈥渋neffective,鈥� adding a bill was not needed for President Joe Biden to take action.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 need a bill. He knows that,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know I didn鈥檛 have a bill. I said 鈥榗lose the border.鈥欌��
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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report from Chicago.
Jonathan J. Cooper And Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated Press
