Local activists expressed concern at Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to the Valley next week during Hidalgo County’s Friday commissioners meeting.

The visit came less than two weeks since La Union del Pueblo Entero and the Texas Civil Rights Project came to the Commissioner's court to protest potential family separation. Their new focus was to get Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez to condemn Trump's scheduled visit to the Valley.

“There is no need to give him a platform in our community,” Texas Civil rights Project Community Organizer Roberto Lopez said. 

Lopez says the Valley is a place, not just the backdrop for immigration issues. He wants the governor to talk about issues that he says affect the Valley.  

“Healthcare, well-paying jobs, cross-border business, electrical infrastructure,” Lopez said.

Judge Cortez told Channel 5 he shares the same concerns as the people at the meeting, adding that he and the other three county judges in the Valley looked into three claims the governor has made to justify declaring a disaster.

The claims Abbott made, according to Cortez, was that the immigrants are costing the counties money, property owners are complaining about them and that the migrants are committing violent crimes. 

But he said, none of these claims checked out. 

“In searching for evidence to support that, I didn't find sufficient evidence,” Cortez said, adding that the other three counties reported the same results.

Gov. Abbott and Trump are scheduled to visit the Valley Wednesday, June 30.