SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Former President Donald Trump’s visit to Cochise County isn’t until Thursday, but local supporters are already planning to show the former president a warm welcome.
The itinerary for Trump's visit isn't known yet, but it's been confirmed by the Cochise County Sheriff's Office and the City of Sierra Vista that he will be flying into the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport, Thursday morning.
"I thought it's kind of interesting that he's coming into Sierra Vista,” said Trump supporter, Kara Harris.
She was one of a couple hundred people to secure tickets to see former president arrive. The airport will be closed to the public and non-credentialed people Thursday morning.
"He's going to see that the people care, we care about our borders," Harris said. "We want to be protected.”
She says she hasn’t gotten details for the event, but says the email confirmation she received says she'll be notified 24 hours before the event about what to expect. Harris said Trump visiting the border county says a lot.
"We want him to see that, we want him to protect our county,” Harris said.
While she and the limited number of attendees are at the airport, Paul Varble is rallying support for outside the airport.
"We want to show our support so (Trump) knows that we are behind him every step of the way,” he said. “With Trump coming to our area, he's going to see what's really going on.
"Trump is here to show us that he's still wanting to do something about that border.”
Varble tells KGUN that he has been calling people he knows and posting on social media about the event in an effort to have people line the roads with flags and signs.
"When he drives by, he can see he has a support system right here in Cochise County, right here in Sierra Vista,” he said.
As for Trump's trip to the border, Harris and Varble say it’ll let the former president see what’s happening for himself.
"I just think that Trump will be able to see for himself exactly what's going on from that point up there, because you can look down on everything,” Varble said.
Local law enforcement are working on plans to ensure the safety of the former president and those who attend the arrival event at the city's airport. CCSO announced on Facebook, they will not release the route the motorcade with be driving to the border out of precaution.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
