Rep. María Elvira Salazar is breaking openly with President Donald Trump on immigration, releasing a television ad that accuses his administration of going too far with its enforcement push and warns that Hispanic voters who helped elect him feel betrayed.
The Florida Republican, who backed Trump in 2024 and urged Hispanic voters to support his return to the White House, made the unusual public challenge as she campaigns for re-election in her Miami-area district ahead of the November midterm elections.
Critics called Salazar a “traitor” and accused her of turning her back on the country.
Salazar’s Direct Warning to Trump
In the ad, Salazar spoke to the president directly, citing figures from this past July. Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisors are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” she said.
Salazar went further, urging Trump to embrace a different path for the millions of undocumented immigrants already living in the country. “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,” she added. Coverage of Salazar’s immigration enforcement challenge drew immediate attention from political observers across the country.
The DIGNIDAD Act and Republican Resistance
At the heart of Salazar’s position is her DIGNIDAD Act, legislation she has championed for years. The bill pairs stricter border security measures, including mandatory nationwide E-Verify, expanded barriers, tougher penalties for smugglers and traffickers, and overhauled asylum processing, with a seven-year program allowing qualifying undocumented immigrants who entered before Dec. 31, 2020, to remain legally.
Those immigrants would need to pass a criminal background check, pay back taxes, comply with federal and state laws, and pay $7,000 in restitution. Many Republicans view the proposal as an amnesty measure, a characterization Salazar has consistently rejected.
What Comes Next in Florida’s 27th District
Salazar won her Republican primary in August and will face Democratic nominee Eliott Rodriguez in Florida’s 27th Congressional District in November. Her public split with Trump on immigration is particularly striking given her otherwise close alignment with the president and her vocal support for his 2024 campaign.
Trump returned to office committed to a sweeping immigration enforcement operation following a surge in illegal border crossings during the Biden administration. With the midterms weeks away, Salazar’s ad signals she is willing to stake her re-election campaign on the argument that the administration’s approach risks losing the Hispanic coalition that helped deliver Trump’s victory.
