BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 Nearly 800 people filled the Nile Theater Friday night as New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made her way to Bakersfield to rally support for Democratic candidate Randy Villegas.<\/p>\n
Villegas is challenging Republican incumbent David Valadao in the race for California’s 22nd Congressional District.<\/p>\n
This marks Ocasio-Cortez’s second visit to Kern County in just over a year, something she acknowledged while speaking to supporters.<\/p>\n
“When I think about that rally that we had about a year ago. It was precisely to warn people like David Valadao to not hurt the very people that elected him,” Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez was speaking about Valadao voting in favor of H.R. 1, also known as the Big Beautiful Bill.<\/p>\n
She also highlighted the Central Valley’s history, pointing to the farm labor movement that began in Delano. She recognized civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and Filipino farmworkers who fought for better wages and working conditions.<\/p>\n
Immigration was also a major topic of discussion. When Villegas took the stage, he criticized Valadao over what he described as a lack of urgency in addressing immigration enforcement operations across the Central Valley.<\/p>\n
“Valadao has been silent while our families are being separated. Just a couple weeks ago when we took the debate stage, he was asked about immigration enforcement and to quote him, he said, ‘it is what it is.’ Well, let me tell you, ‘it is what it is’ is not good enough for the Central Valley,” Villegas said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, just across the street from the Nile Theater, a small group gathered with signs showing their support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n
“I have nothing against immigrants, it’s coming here the right way is what we need to work on. ICE, they’re just doing their job. They’re keeping our communities safe. They’re keeping our country safe. We appreciate ICE and we appreciate law enforcement,” Nima Poursohi said.<\/p>\n
Following his speech, I asked Villegas if he had a message for those who support ICE and its immigration enforcement efforts.<\/p>\n
“I support the first amendment, so it’s everybody’s right to protest, and I will always fight to protect the first amendment. To those same folks, I want them to know that when I’m elected to Congress, if they’re in my district, if they’re an American anywhere in this country, I want to fight to make sure they have guaranteed health care. I want to fight to make sure they have a roof over their heads,” Villegas said.<\/p>\n
Beyond immigration, both Ocasio-Cortez and Villegas addressed issues including health care, the cost of living and campaign financing.<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez closed her remarks by urging supporters to back Villegas in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n
Election Day is coming up on November 3.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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