Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz met about 45 clergy members Wednesday an event that State Senator Ruben Diaz helped put together after the Cruz campaign called.

"This was arranged in less than 12 hours," said Diaz, who also heads the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization.

Diaz said the meeting with ministers and others was just that — a meeting, not an endorsement. 

"He just wanted to be heard," Diaz said. "And we are here to hear people, to listen."

The restaurant, Sabrosura 2, in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx, served lunch as usual, while Cruz and the ministers met in an area separated by the blue curtain.

Linda Saavedra owns a beauty salon nearby and is a regular at the restaurant. Saavedra said she supports Hillary Clinton. But her mother, Maria, supports Cruz. The younger Saavedra called her mother over from the beauty shop to come see the candidate. 

Henry Grullon, who lives in Riverdale, said he has volunteered for and donated to Cruz's campaign. He acknowledged that Cruz faces a tough climb to win support of Latino voters in the Bronx, a largely democratic area, but that Cruz's message as a conservative Christian could actually resonate with Latinos.

"Ted Cruz has been a true conservative," said Grullon. "He's just shown up to now, he's consistent." 

Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, has taken a hard line on immigration issues. According to his website, he will stop illegal immigration, increase deportations and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.