Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) took aim at President Trump’s immigration crackdown in a campaign ad Thursday, saying some of his enforcement actions have “gone too far.”
In the 30-second advertisement, Salazar, whose district includes a majority-Hispanic population in South Florida, spoke directly to Trump and warned that many of his Latino supporters “feel betrayed.”
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” said the three-term congresswoman.
Salazar cited detention figures to make her case. “In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record,” she said, adding, “Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies.”
“The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” she said.
Salazar has backed legislation that would defer deportations for certain migrants living in the country without legal status and provide a pathway to permanent residency. In the ad, she urged Trump to “be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism.”
“I’m not talking about giving them amnesty,” Salazar said. “I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land, and only you can do that.”
Trump has endorsed Salazar in her bid for re-election.
“In Congress, María is working hard 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,” the president wrote on Truth Social in February.
“María Elvira Salazar has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” he added.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the agency is “focused on delivering the most historic mass deportation campaign in American history—exactly as President Trump promised.”
“Whether Congresswoman Salazar likes it or not, the men and women of ICE are enforcing the laws passed by Congress,” the spokesperson said.
A Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic voters released last November showed declining support for Trump among Latinos amid his immigration crackdown.
Overall, 78% of Hispanics said the Trump administration’s policies were harmful to Latinos, up from 69% in 2019.
Among Hispanic Republicans, 55% said Trump’s policies had harmed Latinos. That represented a 17-percentage-point increase from his first term, when 38% of Hispanic Republicans held that view.
A UnidosUS survey released in May, meanwhile, found that one in four Hispanic Trump voters said they would not vote for him if they had the choice to do it again.
