The November election is less than 70 days away and the House Speaker visited the Rio Grande Valley on Thursday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson came to support the Republican candidate running against Vicente Gonzalez, and held a closed door meeting with local law enforcement.

"They want a secure border, they want people to follow the rules, and the Democratic Party was standing for the exact same opposite," Johnson said. "We're going to flip this seat from blue to red."

Johnson was invited to the Valley by Republican congressional candidate Eric Flores. Law enforcement from Cameron County and as far north as Corpus Christi met with the two men.

"They need to have the appropriate backing from their congressional member who understands it and is not getting their points from some sort of political brief that goes out on a Monday," Flores said.

Flores is running for District 34 against current Democrat Vicente Gonzalez, covering Cameron and Willacy counties, along with a portion of eastern Hidalgo County.

The last time the Valley got a visit from a speaker of the house was in 2019. Then Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in McAllen visiting the Sacred Heart Immigrant Respite Center.

Seven years later, immigration continues to be a hot topic, especially among Republicans like Speaker Johnson and candidate Flores.

"So having gotten the border more secure now, we got to deal with all the fallout that came from having it wide open. Many of the people that came into the country were dangerous criminal illegal aliens," Johnson said.

Speaker Johnson responded to concerns about an increase in ICE enforcement and detentions, calling the crossing of migrants during the Biden Administration chaotic.

Flores made campaign promises to help bring more money to local law enforcement.

"To be that squeaky wheel, so that it's not caught up like some of these sheriffs, were just saying a lot of the money they need is caught-up in red tape," Flores said.

In response to the visit, Democrat Congressman Vicente Gonzalez released the following statement to Channel 5 News.

"Our local law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each day to protect our communities. It's why just this week, I delivered millions in federal funding for bullet-resistant windshields and other investments to improve border security. But let's be clear, ICE operations in South Texas have been rogue, abusive and hyperaggressive. These federal agencies operating at the administration's discretion, which has led to the targeting of law-abiding citizens and caused a labor shortage for South Texas businesses, do not reflect our values. Speaker Johnson and Eric Flores should be ashamed of themselves coming to South Texas to try and justify the abuse that is happening on the streets of South Texas. What they should be focused on is how to provide healthcare to the most uninsured region in the country, and make life more affordable for hardworking Americans in this region."

The general election is on November 3 and early voting begins on October 19.

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