Former President Trump will visit the U.S. southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, this Thursday, amid a broken border resulting in hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into the country, and a drug crisis fueled by fentanyl pushed by drug cartels.

Trump’s campaign announced his visit on Sunday, blaming Vice President Kamala Harris, who was referred to as “border Czar Kamala Harris,” for the “country’s worst border crisis.”

“Despite nearly 10 million immigrant crossings in the last three and a half years, at least 99 individuals on the terrorist watch list being released into our country, deadly drugs like fentanyl being peddled in by cartels and poisoning American communities, and a huge increase in crime and chaos caused by illegal immigrants – there is no end in sight for Kamala Harris’ border crisis,” the announcement read. “Our country continues to witness more and more violent and deadly crimes committed by illegal immigrants.”

Trump’s campaign then referred to Americans like Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, who were all allegedly killed by illegal immigrants.

JD VANCE RIPS HARRIS’ LATEST WORD SALAD: ‘SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POWER OF DIPLOMACY’

Two Venezuelan nationals – 21-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Jose Peña Ramos – have been charged with capital murder in connection with the death of 12-year-old Nungaray’s death. The two men crossed illegally into the U.S. 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 22-year-old Riley’s murder. Ibarra entered the U.S. through El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was freed on border parole. He initially lived in New York City, where he was arrested for endangering a child prior to his move to Athens, Georgia.

Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another in connection to Riley’s murder.

ARIZONA’S KARI LAKE TEARS INTO KAMALA HARRIS ON THE BORDER: ‘THE ONLY WALZ SHE SUPPORTS IS HER VP PICK’

University of Georgia murder suspect Jose Ibarra lived within a five-minute walk of the approximate scene where he allegedly murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on Feb. 22. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/ Laken Riley/ Jose Ibarra)

The El Salvadoran national responsible for Morin’s death, 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, was also in the country illegally, and according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was caught by Border Patrol three times within a matter of days in January and February 2023 and kicked back to Mexico under Title 42 each time. He then successfully entered the U.S. as a gotaway, 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 over half of the total fentanyl pills entering the country come through the Arizona border.

POLITICO MOCKED FOR REPORT STATING HARRIS WILL DRAW ON PROSECUTOR PAST TO SECURE BORDER: ‘IS THIS A JOKE?’

Still images from motion-activated surveillance cameras show groups of camouflaged people sneaking onto an Arizona rancher’s property after making their way around an incomplete portion of the southern border wall in May 2024. (Courtesy of Jim Chilton)

“In Maricopa County, more than three people die every day on average due to fentanyl,” the announcement read. “President Donald J. Trump knows that the people of Arizona and the rest of the country cannot take another four years of a missing-in-action border Czar who refuses to act to secure our border and protect our country.”

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

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

The Arizona Wildcats are entering the 2024 college football season as a potential sleeper contender.

Led by star quarterback Noah Fifita, the Wildcats are currently ranked No. 21 in the nation. A lot of that has to do with their offense.

Fifita put together a strong 2023 campaign for Arizona. He completed 72.4 percent of his pass attempts for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Those numbers have put him on the watchlist at the quarterback position for the 2024 campaign. He has even been talked about as a sleeper contender to win the Heisman Trophy.

While it’s very unlikely that he will reach that level of play this year, he is a player who should have an even bigger year than he had in 2023.

NFL Draft Buzz has done a breakdown of Fifita’s game and even compared him to a few NFL quarterbacks.

His best comparison was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. However, the other two similar players that were named are Jake Haener and Stetson Bennett.

Simply being compared in any way, shape, or form to Purdy is a huge honor.

Here is a brief snippet of the breakdown that they had for Fifita:

“If Fifita can refine his game and overcome physical limitations, he has the potential to be a dependable backup or spot starter in the NFL. His accuracy, quick decision-making, and mobility are tools that can translate well with the right coaching. While his college success is promising, his ability to adapt and grow at the pro level will be the ultimate test at the next level.”

Those are strong words that provide big-time potential for the young quarterback in the future.

As previously mentioned, the Heisman hype has started growing for Fifita. The Athletic recently gave him a shot at winning the prestigious award.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the upcoming 2024 season has in store for Fifita. He is beginning to be a quarterback that NFL teams are looking at and has an offense around him capable of being elite.

If he plays to his full potential, Fifita will put together a monstrous season and should lead Arizona to a very successful year.

If the Arizona Diamondbacks truly cared about fans, they wouldn’t let them roast at Chase Field.

What should have been an enjoyable outing at Chase Field for baseball fans to watch the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies last weekend was instead a sweaty, sweltering, miserably hot experience.

Is it asking too much for cheapskate billionaire owner Ken Kendrick to fix the air conditioning? Rather than whine about taxpayers rejecting any more public funding for ballpark improvements?

Fix the AC before fans start cramping up like Zac Gallen did last Saturday night. I’d request a ticket refund, but only true owners who care about the fans would do that.

Kyle Mickel, Phoenix

Are ‘Goons’ or immigrants worse?

Kari Lake and her MAGA crowd seem to be obsessed with what they call “immigrant crime.” I would like to ask her if the “Gilbert Goons” and another adolescent gang in Gilbert, who burned down a barn and harassed teen girls, were immigrants?

From what I’ve read, they were bona fide American teens who seemed to be afflicted with an extreme case of “affluenza.”

I think the only crime stats we have to look at whether “immigrant crime” is really a thing comes from Texas, and their stats show that immigrants commit much less crime than their squeaky-clean American counterparts.

Bob Ellis, Phoenix

$6.89 for milk is highway robbery

I needed some milk to finish some baking. I went to a 7-Eleven to get some, as it’s less than a mile from my house.

I purchased a quart. I paid $6.89. Milk at the grocery store is $1.75. If this isn’t price gouging, I don’t know what price gouging is. 

Michael Scully, Mesa

No wonder we hate government

Cox Communications in Phoenix recently shut down for several hours. I called to ask if my monthly bill would reflect the service reduction. I was told that Cox charges by the day, not the minute/hour.

I tried to complain to the Arizona Corporation Commission and was advised that Cox is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, not the state corporation commission.

More letters: Why did we not learn about this Arizona atrocity?

Try to find a link on the FCC’s site to file a complaint. Not happening, unless it’s hidden in a sub-category that I couldn’t find. In a democracy, complaints against government should never be hidden!

It’s no wonder that citizens get so frustrated with our government.

Page Decker, Avondale

Leave your politics in California

People come to Arizona from countries south of our border and from California in huge numbers. Why are they leaving other countries or states?

Because they wanted a better life or they are looking for work or the taxes were terribly high or they could not afford decent housing or their schools were no good or the socialist form of government was the cause for all of this.

And they vote for Democrats here so they can have all the things that they left.

Craig Holstad, Chandler

Why I sell solar power on the side

As a resident of Phoenix, I’ve seen how our community values sustainability and innovation. The push for renewable energy aligns perfectly with these values and offers numerous benefits for our state.

Arizona’s solar potential is immense. By expanding our solar energy infrastructure, we can lower energy costs and enhance energy security. Renewable energy also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, helping to combat climate change.

The economic benefits are significant. Renewable energy projects create jobs and stimulate local economies. They attract investments in technology and infrastructure, positioning Arizona as a leader in the clean energy revolution.

For me, supporting renewable energy means supporting a thriving, sustainable future.

I’m so passionate about clean energy that I sell solar power on the side, in addition to my work as a bartender in Phoenix. This underscores my belief in the importance and benefits of renewable energy for our community and beyond.

Jill Patsche, Phoenix

Vote for the ideology, not the person

We are in the midst of the dog days of summer and our national election. And it is the same old experience — lies and more lies.

It requires a lot of concentration to sort through the campaign ads to find a scintilla of truth. Most of the time, the entire campaign ad is just yanking our chains.

I would like to believe that we are all smart enough and savvy enough to know when we are being conned. The person we vote for matters less than the political and social ideology we support.

Will you vote for the party candidate who believes that social programs should not exist and wants to pay no taxes? Or will you vote for the candidate who truly cares about you?

We shouldn’t mistake the two by shooting ourselves in the foot. When you select who to vote for, do a bit of research and be sure that your vote does not make your life worse than it is.

Alvin Vasicek, Mesa

What’s on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com.