Former President Donald Trump stresses dangers of lax policies during Arizona border visit

PHOENIX — Americans are fed up with the U.S.-Mexico border crisis, former President Donald Trump said during a Thursday speech in Arizona.

“It’s a very sad time for this country in many ways,” Trump said at the beginning of his speech, which took place at Montezuma Pass in Cochise County.

He spent his time discussing border crime and honoring victims who were killed by undocumented immigrants, such as Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

Trump, who is holding a rally in Glendale on Friday, also discussed the various border initiatives he enacted during his time in office. Those included his “Remain in Mexico” policy as well as his efforts to build a border wall.

Trump promised to “end this border nightmare” if he becomes president in November.

“With your vote, we will seal the border, stop the invasion and launch the largest deportation effort in American history,” Trump said.

HAPPENING NOW: Former President Trump arrives at the border in Cochise County. pic.twitter.com/LKwoRzsfF9

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) August 22, 2024

Trump insults border policies of Biden-Harris administration

The Republican presidential nominee also spent a great deal of his time tearing into the border policies of the Biden-Harris administration.

“They’ve unleashed a deadly plague of migrant crime on our country by not doing their job,” Trump said.

He brought a paper with a chart on immigration numbers. Not only did it reflect the skyrocketing rates of border crossings since he left office, but it also had personal significance.

On July 13, Trump turned his head to gesture to that same chart during a rally in Pennsylvania. A bullet shot by a would-be assassin grazed Trump’s ear.

“This chart probably saved my life,” Trump said. “We have to clean up our borders. We have to clean up our elections or we’re not gonna have our country.”

He spoke at length about alleged migrant crime, calling it “nation wrecking” and a threat to the future of the U.S. He also referred to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris as “Comrade Kamala,” accusing her of failing in her duty as a “border czar” — a title she never held.

Before he took to the podium, several speakers discussed border crime, including Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who Trump addressed during his speech.

“They always say, Sheriff, ‘Oh, the illegal immigrants don’t commit crimes, like people that live here.’ It’s so wrong. They don’t report them,” he said.

To prove his point, he invited several speakers to share their experiences with border crime.

Trump Arizona border speech included guest speakers

One was Alexis Nungaray, the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was strangled to death by two Venezuelan nationals in June.

“They had no reason to do anything that they did to Jocelyn,” Nungaray said. “They were detained and they were released when they shouldn’t have been released. One had an ankle monitor. It didn’t stop anything.”

Another was Amanda Kiefer, a woman attacked by an undocumented migrant in San Francisco during Harris’ time as the city’s district attorney.

Prior to the 2008 attack, the attacker had been arrested on drug charges. However, he was later released as part of the Back on Track program, which Harris launched.

One criminal stole her purse before jumping into a vehicle driven by an accomplice, Keifer recalled.

“They were laughing as they fractured my skull,” Keifer said. “What was really the worst part about it all, though, is that I found out taxpayer money was paying for job training for this guy.”

Former President Donald Trump is in Arizona making remarks at the southern border. pic.twitter.com/QvzzsVL9t5

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) August 22, 2024

What does Trump want to do to solve the border crisis?

Trump said he plans to impose tough new sentences on undocumented migrants who commit crimes.

That includes 10-year mandatory minimum sentences for anyone guilty of human smuggling. He also promised a guaranteed life sentence for anyone guilty of child trafficking.

Trump also said he wanted a death penalty for anyone guilty of trafficking women or children for sex trafficking.

“We’ll also impose the death penalty on major drug dealers and traffickers,” Trump said. “We will also impose the death penalty for anyone killing our police, sheriffs, Border Patrol, ICE or law enforcement officials.”

With these plans, Trump said, he will make America safe again.