In campaign ad, GOP congresswoman says Trump’s immigration enforcement has “gone too far”

Washington — Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida warned President Trump in a new campaign ad that some of his immigration enforcement campaigns have “gone too far” and said that Hispanic voters who propelled him to the White House in 2024 “feel betrayed.”

Salazar, who is Cuban-American, has been critical of the president’s deportation efforts before, but her message on immigration serves as a stark example of a GOP candidate distancing herself from the president just weeks before the midterm elections.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar said in her ad. “In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today. You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism. I’m not talking about giving them amnesty. I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land.”

Salazar’s Miami-area district is Republican-leaning, and nearly three-quarters of the population is Hispanic, according to Census Bureau data. A recent CBS News poll found that 55% of adults nationwide disapprove of the president’s handling of immigration, compared to 45% who said they approved. His overall approval stood at 39%.

Salazar, who has been in Congress since 2021, is running for reelection against Democratic candidate Eliott Rodriguez, a former news anchor for CBS News Miami who won his primary to challenge Salazar in August.

Born in Miami’s Little Havana, Salazar is the daughter of Cuban exiles. A former television journalist, Salazar has interviewed both Nicolás Maduro and Fidel Castro, according to her office. 

In Congress, Salazar has advocated for immigration reform to bring undocumented workers “out of the shadows.” She has said that immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years, lack a criminal record and pay taxes should be able to achieve a renewable legal work status.

CBS News reported that July was the first month in Mr. Trump’s second term when people with only civil immigration violations — not pending criminal charges or convictions — made up more than half of those arrested.

Rodriguez criticized Salazar’s message and her record on immigration in an interview with CBS News Miami.

“That video is mind-boggling,” Rodriguez said Thursday.

“Let’s be clear: María Elvira Salazar is part of Donald Trump’s immigration agenda,” he added. “She tries to paint herself as an advocate and a champion of immigrants, but she votes contrary to that.”

CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment on Salazar’s ad.