Trump announces campaign rally next week in El Paso

President Donald Trump talks with Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott during a 2918 visit to Texas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s re-election team says he’ll hold his first campaign rally of the year next week in Texas.

Trump plans to rally supporters on Monday at the county coliseum in El Paso. The president often cites El Paso in arguing his case for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to deter illegal immigration and crime.

Trump’s campaign manager tweeted that the rally will be held “less than 1000 feet from the successful border fence that keeps El Paso safe!”

The president cited El Paso in his State of the Union address Tuesday as an example of a city he says became safer after a barrier was installed. Few people dispute that barriers contributed to sharp declines in illegal border crossings in El Paso and other border communities.