Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) released a campaign advertisement on a Thursday addressing President Donald Trump directly to criticize his administration's immigration enforcement. In the ad, filmed outside the White House, Salazar stated that some enforcement efforts have "gone too far" and warned that Hispanic voters who supported Trump in 2024 now feel "betrayed." The move marks a public break from the president by a House Republican seeking reelection.
Salazar represents Florida’s 27th Congressional District, which includes Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. According to U.S. Census data, the district is approximately 73% Hispanic or Latino. Salazar, a former broadcast journalist and the daughter of Cuban exiles, originally won the seat in 2020 by defeating a Democratic incumbent by three percentage points. She secured reelection in 2024 by a margin of 20 percentage points.
In the advertisement, Salazar cited figures indicating that half of the individuals detained in July had no criminal record. She advised the president to be cautious regarding the information provided by his advisers on immigration policy. The representative previously supported the administration's fiscal priorities, including a vote in 2025 for legislation known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which allocated $75 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The strategy follows summer polling that placed President Trump's approval rating among Hispanic voters at approximately 30%. Republican consultant Mike Madrid noted that crossing the president is rare within the party, while Democratic officials in Miami-Dade County, such as chair Laura Kelley, characterized the move as an attempt to "play both sides." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers the seat in play for the upcoming election. Republican strategist Brett Doster suggested the ad is a play to retain Republican supporters while appealing to nonpartisan voters. The effectiveness of this approach will be determined on election night. No specific election date or further legislative votes were reported.