TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – Cochise County is preparing for a campaign stop by former President Donald Trump in Sierra Vista Thursday morning.
New details about the event released Wednesday show that it will not be open to the public, but Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels will speak directly with the former president.
“It’s an opportunity for Cochise County to share everything we do here with a presidential candidate and a former president,” Dannels said.
Dannels said his main focus in recent days has been to ensure Trump’s visit is safe.
“We’re honored to have them,” Dannels said. “We’re honored to have anyone who will listen. I explained that earlier in the week, but it also puts a lot of pressure on us to make sure we get it right.”
Dannels said local authorities are working with the Secret Service to increase security measures, including informing the public about the sale of counterfeit tickets to the closed event.
“What we’ve heard this weekend and in the last few days is that people are selling tickets. I would be very suspicious because it’s already sold out. I don’t know where these tickets are coming from,” Dannels said.
But all of this, Dannels said, provides an opportunity to speak with someone who can have such a big impact on real change at the border.
“We want the president to hear from members of the community who want to convey to the president what our challenges have been, but also what our successes have been over the past few years,” Dannels said.
As one of only a few people who were able to speak with the former president, 13 News asked Dannels what message he wanted to send to Trump. He said he wanted to share what worked while also starting a discussion about how all levels of government can help secure the southern border in the future.
“My main message is that we need to work together, local, state and federal agencies need to work together so that we can accomplish this and increase our security even further than we already are,” Dannels said.
Above all, the sheriff said, he does not want to make this a political issue and invites Kamala Harris and all other politicians who are committed to change.
“For us, this is not a political issue. This is an opportunity for law enforcement to share their perspective with the presidential candidates. We hope that they will come,” Dannels said.
While the event is not open to the public, a group of people have signed up to welcome Trump when he lands at Sierra Vista Airport. But as Dannels mentioned, seats for that welcoming party are sold out, so any tickets sold for the event are bogus.
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