Trump greets Yuma Marines, CBP agents
President Donald Trump visited with U.S. Marines and Customs and Border Patrol agents during a Tuesday trip to Yuma.
Air Force One touched down at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma shortly before 2 p.m., and the president spent just a little over an hour learning about the area’s security and military readiness and greeting Marines before heading to Phoenix for a rally.
Col. David A. Suggs, the MCAS commanding officer; Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls and GOP State Chairman Jonathan Lines, the Yuma businessman who invited Trump to visit Yuma, were on hand to welcome the president.
Soon after his arrival, Trump got into his car and headed to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol hangar that houses its Aviation Maintenance and Operations Center, located in the adjacent Yuma International Airport.
Trump greeted and shook hands with Customs and Border Patrol officials and agents lined up in front of a drone, boat and helicopter.
Some members of the press, including the Yuma Sun, were allowed to accompany the president to the CBP hangar, but they were kept behind a line too far to hear the conversation between Trump and the agents.
Sheriff Leon Wilmot and Yuma Police Chief John Lekan were also in attendance.
The president also examined a table displaying items, such as containers, that smugglers have used in attempts to smuggle drugs into the country.
Trump and his convoy, about 20 vehicles carrying staff members, Secret Service agents and press, then headed back to the air station, where he greeted a group of Marines, some with their spouses and kids, gathered in a fenced area in front of Air Force One. The president chatted with the enthusiastic Marines, signed autographs and took selfies with them. He occasionally signed hats and tossed them into the crowd.
Trump boarded the Air Force One at about 3 p.m., and it took off around 3:15 p.m.
Trump did not talk to the media nor hold a press conference. Security was tight, with canine sweeps and sharpshooters positioned on the roofs of the air station facility and CBP hangar. Secret Service agents were everywhere.
With temperatures reaching 111 degrees at the base, at least three people were affected by the heat. One was transported to a healthcare facility and the others were treated on site, MCAS police said.
The Yuma trip was an official visit and not a campaign stop, Lines previously told the Yuma Sun.
“It’s exciting,” Lines said when asked Tuesday for his reaction to the visit.
He previously explained that the president wanted “to see firsthand how local, state and federal law enforcement are working together to drastically reduce illegal activity at the border, yet we still maintain a positive relationship with our neighbors to the south.”
The president wanted to learn about the area’s “security, not just border security, but security in general, and military readiness,” Lines said Monday.
Lines met with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the White House about a month ago. While there, Lines described MCAS and Yuma Proving Ground as “very important military assets” and talked about the Weapons Training and Instructor course that takes place in Yuma twice a year.
Lines then invited the president to see firsthand the local military installations. About 2 1/2 weeks ago, the Yuma resident received a phone call from the White House telling him that Trump had the opportunity to visit Arizona. Lines learned of the president’s intent to visit Yuma about a week ago.