Trump-Backed GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Criticizes Immigration Crackdown Ahead of Midterms

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican facing re-election this November, released a new campaign advertisement on Thursday directly challenging President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement strategies. The move marks a significant departure from the President, who endorsed her bid for re-election earlier this year.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar stated in the video. “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.” She urged the President to take a historic stand for legal residency, paralleling Lincoln’s stance on slavery and Reagan’s on communism. “I’m not talking about giving them amnesty. I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land. And only you can do that.”

This criticism contrasts sharply with Trump’s February endorsement on Truth Social, where he praised Salazar’s “Wisdom and Courage” and called her performance “truly fantastic” in representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District. He declared he had her “Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election” and assured voters she “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Salazar is part of an increasing number of Republicans publicly dissenting from Trump’s policy agenda. The President has previously retaliated against party members who break ranks, including endorsing primary challengers. For instance, he supported Ed Gallrein in the May Republican primary in Kentucky, which led to the defeat of Rep. Thomas Massie after Massie opposed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and pushed for the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Salazar’s campaign indicated that the Thursday video is the first in a series of advertisements planned for the midterm election cycle. She is competing against Democratic nominee Eliott Rodríguez. Both candidates are Cuban Americans with prior careers in journalism. The Cook Political Report currently rates the seat as “Likely Republican,” noting Salazar’s status as a three-term incumbent.

The demographic makeup of her district underscores the stakes of her position. More than 54% of the population in Florida’s 27th district was born abroad, one of the highest proportions in the House. Salazar recently raised concerns regarding the detention of Luis Galeano, a Nicaraguan journalist and political exile whose asylum application has been pending for years. “America must always know the difference between a criminal and a political exile,” Salazar said in a social media statement, emphasizing that Galeano was persecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship and should not be returned to those who targeted him.

Additionally, Salazar is supporting a bipartisan House measure that would provide immigrants without criminal histories a path to secure legal status, though it does not offer a pathway to citizenship.