Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) released a campaign advertisement addressing President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. In the video, Salazar stated that certain enforcement campaigns have "gone too far" and warned the president that Hispanic voters who supported his 2024 election "feel betrayed" by current administration actions.
The congresswoman’s message comes as she seeks reelection in her Miami-area district, which is nearly three-quarters Hispanic. Salazar, a Cuban-American who has served in Congress since 2021, has previously criticized the administration's deportation efforts while advocating for reform that would allow undocumented residents without criminal records to obtain legal work status.
In the advertisement, Salazar cited data indicating that in July, 50% of the 50,000 people detained by immigration authorities had no criminal record. CBS News reported that July marked the first time in the president's second term that individuals with only civil immigration violations—rather than criminal charges or convictions—accounted for more than half of all arrests. Salazar urged the president to ignore certain advisors, stating she was not seeking "amnesty" but rather a "dignified life" for those in the U.S.
According to the reported figures, approximately 25,000 people without criminal records were detained in a single month. Salazar’s public break from the administration shows how a member of the president's own party may challenge executive enforcement priorities during an election cycle. A recent CBS News poll noted that 55% of adults nationwide disapprove of the president’s handling of immigration. This internal GOP friction could influence future legislative debates regarding work permits and the legal status of undocumented residents who pay taxes and have no criminal history, a group Salazar estimates includes many long-term residents.
Salazar faces Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez, a former news anchor who won his primary in August. The outcome of this contest in a Republican-leaning district will serve as a test of how voters respond to the administration’s enforcement strategies versus Salazar's proposed "renewable legal work status" model. The White House has not yet issued a formal response to the congresswoman's claims or the specific detention statistics cited in her advertisement.