Trump is visiting the border to highlight immigration as Democrats accuse him of sabotaging progress

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (AP) — Donald Trump is traveling to the shrub-dotted hills of Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border to campaign Thursday on immigration, his signature issue since launching his first successful presidential bid nine years ago.

The visit is the fourth in a series of events held in battleground states this week to try to draw the focus away from Democrats’ celebration of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago. The Trump campaign placed a lectern with a sign that says “the southern border” on a dirt road between a border wall and piles of steel beams.

The theme of Thursday’s visit is “Make America Safe Again,” and Trump plans to meet with people whose relatives were attacked or slain by immigrants who arrived in the country illegally during the Biden administration. Nearby, snipers stood at an elevated position, their eyes and weapons pointed toward Mexico. On Wednesday, the GOP nominee held his first outdoor rally since an assassination attempt, speaking to supporters while surrounded by bulletproof glass.

Trump and his Republican allies are criticizing Harris and other Democrats for spending more time talking about him this week at the Democratic National Convention than talking about issues like the border and immigration.

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