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PHOENIX - President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both made appearances at the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday.
Biden was in Brownsville, Texas, while Trump was in Eagle Pass, Texas. The two cities are more than 300 miles apart.
This was Biden's second visit to the border as president, but he has yet to visit border cities in Arizona. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels says he contacted the White House to get Biden to Arizona's border with Mexico, but his request went unanswered.
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"Where have you been? This is a national discussion, a national challenge throughout the country," Dannels said. "It's an election year. Is that why you're coming? Because Trump is coming? I don't know. But our sitting president should be working hand in hand to prioritize this with us."
Regardless of the reason, Dannels says he appreciates it when they come to the border to see the reality and meet with local leaders.
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The sector with the highest number of migrant crossings is in Arizona. According to federal government statistics, Border Patrol recorded more than 250,000 migrant apprehensions in the Tucson sector from October to January. That number marks the most migrant crossings the Arizona border has seen.
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The state has also had the largest increase in encounters compared to last year.
"From May 8th of 2023 to just the recent last few days, we've had 715 buses take street releases out of Cochise County that had been transported here from other parts of the border and taken to other parts of Pima County and beyond. That equates to 37,000 migrants street releases in Cochise County," Dannels said.