Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke drew a crowd of a few dozen people —and lots of media — at a stop in Canton on Friday.

He first stopped at the Tienda Anita Latino grocery store in Canton, about two blocks east of the Peco Foods poultry processing plant, where about a hundred migrant workers were detained by federal agents on Aug. 7.

Some residents said they considered O'Rourke's appearance near their homes as a sign of solidarity, even in the conservative-leaning county that went for Trump in the 2016 election.

Some walked about a block down where they live next to the plant to see O'Rourke in person. One by one, they walked into the store to talk privately with O'Rourke, delaying his scheduled appearance before the media.

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Lost sister and brother-in-law in the raid

Among the workers were Lucio Lopez, a Guatemalan native who works construction.

He said his sister and brother-in-law were detained in the raids.

His sister is being held in Louisiana and her husband is in Adams County, he said.

Lopez, like many of the migrant workers in the community, said its going to be difficult to pay rent. They all lived together.

He works construction — a roofer — but doesn't know if it'll keep a roof over his head.

Another migrant construction worker from Guatamala who declined to give his name

said his wife, too, had been detained.

He said worries about rent. But his main concern is his wife. He speaks little English but managed to get out: "She needs a lawyer."

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Hard-working people

For many migrants on Friday, Beto's visit was a cathartic moment to express their fears and frustrations to a candidate who has put immigration at the top of his policy list.

John Brown, a retired city of Canton constituent services officer, said he came to see O'Rourke and offer his support for the workers, many of whom he has lived alongside for years.

"It's heartbreaking what's happened to these hard-working people. None of them are here to hurt or harm anyone, so it's tragic to see what they're going through now," he said.

Brown said he felt uncomfortable called the detained migrant workers "illegal."

"These folks may not be documented, that's what I'd say. I don't like using the term illegal. When you look at the history of this country, dating back to the Native Americans, you could say a lot of people are here illegally," he said.

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Southern Baptist pastor: Raids 'no surprise'

The Rev. Robert and Anna Mamrak came down from Choctaw County, about two hours north, for the book festival in Jackson on Saturday. Friday, they decided to head to Canton and check out O'Rourke.

Robert Mamrak, a Southern Baptist preacher, said he wasn't surprised the raids happened, but found them "cruel and outrageous."

"If you've been listening to Trump, he's been saying he's going to do this. So, it comes as no surprise. But nevertheless, I find it appalling," he said.

Canton police chief: 'We didn't get any advance warning of the raid, nothing at all'

Canton Police Chief Otha Brown was at the grocery store helping direct traffic during the O'Rourke visit, which drew a throng a media.

He said he learned about the raids from media reports and from residents who called to ask about the buses and federal agents at the plant.

He said he wasn't notified by federal authorities beforehand which is usually done as a courtesy.

"We didn't get any advance warning of the raid, nothing at all," he said.

The chief said the department typically doesn't have any issues with the Latino community in Canton.

"We don't have any problems with them. Most of those folks are hard-working, family people. We'll ask for their identification during a traffic stop, which is normal, but we don't ask about their immigration status."

Contact Justin Vicory at 769-572-1418 or jvicory@gannett.com. Follow @justinvicory on Twitter.