Trump running mate JD Vance to visit Arizona's southern border. Here's what to know

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance will visit the southern border this week, where he’ll make immigration a major focus of his first vice presidential campaign trip to battleground Arizona.

Vance will travel to the southern border in Cochise County on Thursday morning. The visit comes a day after Vance will hold a rally at the Arizona Christian University Event Center in Glendale.

Trump and Vance are “devastated to see the path of death and destruction American families are facing because of the radical-Left policies of the current administration,” the Trump campaign said in a written statement announcing Vance’s visit. 

Immigration is a major factor in the presidential race. Thirty percent of Arizona registered voters named immigration as their top issue in a recent Emerson College poll.

The Republican presidential ticket has hammered Harris on immigration since she became the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee last week, using the phrase “failed border czar” to describe her. Harris was tasked with addressing the root causes of immigration from Central American countries as part of her vice presidential duties.

Harris countered their attacks with endorsements from four Arizona border mayors this week. 

“The case for Vice President Kamala Harris could not be more clear — she’s the qualified, experienced leader that Arizonans in large or small communities and all across America need right now,” Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge said in a written statement. “From addressing the complex issues of immigration to upholding our rule of law, she will lead our nation forward and is the candidate that will beat Trump.”

The Trump campaign also highlighted several murder cases where undocumented immigrants were charged with crimes, including the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas.

“These American children would still be alive if it weren't for the Biden-Harris Administration’s neglection to secure our border,” the Trump campaign said. 

The Biden administration has shifted rightward to guard against Republican attacks on immigration. President Joe Biden signed a pair of executive orders in June to limit asylum for migrants and to keep families together by allowing noncitizen spouses and children to apply for lawful permanent residence. Encounters at the border have been trending downward over the last four months, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Democrats also point to a bipartisan immigration bill that had a chance of passing in Congress earlier this year. Trump pressured Republicans to back off the deal because it would have given Biden a boost during an election year. 

Harris toured border facilities near El Paso, Texas in 2021. Trump visited the southern border in San Luis during his 2020 presidential campaign.