Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke in Mississippi on Friday said federal raids at food processing plans had no purpose other than to "terrify" immigrant communities — and he laid the blame squarely at President Donald Trump.

O’Rourke called the raids in Mississippi “heartless.”

“There is no other reason to raid this community other than to terrify this community,” he said.

It's part of a new strategy for O'Rourke, who has struggled to break into the top tier of a crowded field of Democrats running for president.

“Wherever Donald Trump is terrorizing and terrifying communities I’m gonna be there," O'Rourke said. "Wherever’s he trying to keep people down, I’m going do everything I can do to lift them up. I’m gonna tell their stories. I’m gonna make sure that the rest of this country understands what is happening in our name right now.”

O'Rourke came to Canton to speak with families affected by the immigration raids, which rounded up nearly 700 people suspected of being in the country without permission.

This was O'Rourke's first event on the campaign trail since a shooting at an El Paso Walmart left 22 dead. O'Rourke had been representing the border city in the U.S. Congress until earlier this year and paused his presidential campaign in the shooting's aftermath.

O'Rourke's new plan

The Texas Democrat did not make a typical campaign stop in Mississippi. Rather than hold a rally or make a pitch to primary voters, O'Rourke came to the Magnolia State to draw national attention to the immigration raids.

O'Rourke said he would not have visited Mississippi if it were not for the raids, which he linked to the mass shooting in El Paso. Authorities believe the alleged shooter published a manifesto that referred to an "invasion" of Latinos shortly before the massacre.

“When I heard about what had happened in Mississippi, it was another dot that we’ve got to connect for the American people. That massacre in El Paso did not happen in a vacuum. This raid did not happen in a vacuum,” O’Rourke said. “There is an attack on immigrants and specifically Hispanics right now under this administration.”

In a phone interview with the Clarion Ledger Friday afternoon, O'Rourke was asked how he walks the line between responding to a mass shooting in his hometown and campaigning on a tragedy.

“You just gotta do the right thing," O'Rourke said, "and for me the right thing was leaving the campaign trail and immediately flying back to El Paso."

O'Rourke explained that he has a moral imperative to campaign on the El Paso shooting, the raids in Mississippi and how they're connected to Trump.

“You have a president who is unleashing a cruelty on Hispanic communities and immigrant communities, who is invoking fears of an invasion and an infestation," O'Rourke said. "...There is a terrible cost and consequence to this. If no one is speaking up and speaking out and getting the attention of this country to address this and to stop this then that's on me and everyone else who has the opportunity to act."

O'Rourke in Canton

O’Rourke kicked off his campaign stop by meeting with the owner of a small Latino grocery store, just a few blocks away from one of the food processing plants raided on Aug. 7.

They spoke in Spanish for about 15 minutes between shelves of black beans and hot sauces.

Later, O'Rourke and families affected by the immigration raids met in private inside the grocery store.

“So many of those mothers in there said they feel like there’s an attack on Hispanics,” O’Rourke said to reporters outside.

O'Rourke told the Clarion Ledger some of the families he spoke to have been in America for "5, 10, 15 years." He said they don't commit crimes, they don't draw any benefits, and they work difficult jobs unwanted by many people.

That was backed up by Canton Police Chief Otha Brown, who said his department has never had complaints about the immigrant workers at the town's food processing plant. According to Brown, the only problem police have had with the immigrants is that they don't like to stay at the scenes of car accidents, because they fear being arrested and deported.

O'Rourke said that one Latino woman asked him why — "if that lie is out there that we just came here for public assistance" — did the government take away their ability to work, according to O'Rourke.

Another woman said she was scared to pick up her paycheck at one of the food processing plants because she's scared she'll be arrested, O'Rourke said.

"That's why I had to come to Canton. People need to know the stories of these families," O'Rourke said. "I'm confident that once they do, they're going to be galvanized to do the right thing."

As part of his campaign visit, a table of foodstuffs — including rice, beans, Cup of Noodles — was set up and distributed to families.

O'Rourke's visit came hours after he released a new plan addressing gun violence in America.

According to the plan, O'Rourke, if elected, would direct the Department of Justice to target white supremacy, make social media companies "ban hateful activities," create a national gun licensing system, require universal background checks, banning guns like the AR-15, and more.

O'Rourke told the Clarion Ledger that "a vigorous defense of the Second Amendment" and "pursuing safety and security for our fellow Americans" are not mutually exclusive.

"I want everybody in this country to be able to exercise their Second Amendment rights, to purchase a firearm," O'Rourke said. "... But we cannot pretend that having millions of weapons of war on the streets are not doing very real damage to this country."

The Republican National Committee on Friday criticized O'Rourke's trip to Mississippi.

"Beto O’Rourke’s visit today showcases just how out-of-touch he is with Mississippians who want strong borders and safe communities," said RNC spokesperson Christiana Purves. "O’Rourke’s continued dismissal of the crisis at the southern border and refusal to address illegal immigration won’t play well with Mississippi voters.”

USA Today contributed to this report.

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.

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