Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) publicly criticized President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts this week, releasing a campaign ad Thursday that warns his crackdown has alienated Latino supporters.
Salazar, a three-term congresswoman representing a majority Hispanic South Florida district, addressed Trump directly in the 30-second spot. “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” she said, adding that “the same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
She cited a specific statistic in the 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 policies.”
Salazar has previously backed congressional legislation that would defer deportations for some migrants lacking legal status and provide a pathway to permanent resident status. In the ad, she urged Trump to take a historic stance on the issue, saying he should “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, and only you can do that.”
The break comes despite Trump’s endorsement of Salazar’s re-election bid. In February, he praised her work in Congress on Truth Social, writing that she is helping to “Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Brave Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.” He added that she has his “Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election” and “SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the New York Post. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal the agency remains “focused on delivering the most historic mass deportation campaign in American history—exactly as President Trump promised,” adding that “whether Congresswoman Salazar likes it or not, the men and women of ICE are enforcing the laws passed by Congress.”
Slipping Support Among Hispanic Voters
Salazar’s criticism arrives amid broader signs of eroding Latino support for Trump’s immigration approach. A Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic voters released last November found that 78% rated the administration’s policies as harmful to Latinos, up from 69% in 2019.
Among Hispanic Republicans specifically, 55% said Trump’s policies have been harmful — a 17 percentage point jump from his first term, when only 38% of Hispanic Republicans held that view.
A separate UnidosUS survey published in May found that one in four Hispanic voters who backed Trump said they would not vote for him again if given the chance.
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