“He is committed to preserving our constitutional liberties,” Wilson told the crowd, and then took a subtle dig at GOP rival Donald Trump. “We can’t afford a wild card.”

Wilson became one of the most polarizing political figures in recent California history after advocating for Proposition 187, the ballot measure that would have barred public services for immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

The measure is largely blamed for driving California’s growing number of Latino voters away from the Republican Party and for the GOP’s diminished influence in the state.

Cruz, who is running behind Trump in polls of likely GOP voters in the state’s June 7 primary, has called for a crackdown on illegal immigration and said he supports deporting the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally.