Trump visits southern border in Arizona, blames ‘czar’ Kamala Harris for crisis

Former President Trump will visit the southern border of the United States in Cochise County, Arizona, next Thursday, as the border is torn apart and hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are pouring into the country, as well as a drug crisis fueled by fentanyl, which is being distributed by drug cartels.

Trump’s campaign announced his visit on Sunday, blaming Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been dubbed “border czar Kamala Harris,” for “the worst border crisis in the country.”

“Despite nearly 10 million immigrants crossing the border in the past three and a half years, at least 99 individuals on the terrorist watch list released into our country, deadly drugs like fentanyl sold by cartels poisoning American communities, and a massive increase in crime and chaos caused by illegal immigrants — there is no end in sight to Kamala Harris’s border crisis,” the announcement said. “Our country continues to witness increasing levels of violent and deadly crime committed by illegal immigrants.”

Trump’s campaign then pointed to Americans like Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, all of whom were reportedly murdered by illegal immigrants.

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Two Venezuelan nationals – 21-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Jose Peña Ramos – have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 12-year-old Nungaray. The two men crossed into the U.S. illegally earlier this year and are accused of strangling the pre-teen to death in June.

Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant, was charged with the murder of 22-year-old Riley. Ibarra entered the U.S. in 2022 through El Paso, Texas, and was released on parole. He initially lived in New York City, where he was arrested for child endangerment before moving to Athens, Georgia.

Ibarra has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, obstructing a 911 call and concealing the death of another person in connection with Riley’s killing.

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The Salvadoran national responsible for Morin’s death, 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, was also in the country illegally and was caught by Border Patrol three times in January and February 2023 and deported back to Mexico under Title 42 each time, according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He then successfully entered the U.S. as a “getaway,” meaning he entered without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration officer, in February 2023 near El Paso, Texas.

Trump’s campaign also pointed to the fentanyl crisis, saying more than half of all fentanyl pills entering the country come through the Arizona border.

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“In Maricopa County, more than three people die each day from fentanyl on average,” the announcement said. “President Donald J. Trump knows that the people of Arizona and across the country cannot tolerate another four years of a disgraced border Czar who refuses to take action to secure our border and protect our country.”

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Trump will visit the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Stephen Sorace, Bill Melugin, Louis Casiano, Greg Norman and Stepheny Price of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.