Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Thursday warned President Trump that his mass deportation campaign is sparking a dramatic loss in support from Latino voters, a shift that could cost the GOP dearly in the midterm congressional elections.
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In an unusual rebuke from a normally loyal GOP lawmaker, Salazar released a reelection ad that slammed Trump for his hardline immigration stance and said it could blow up in his face in November.
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar says in the ad, looking directly at the camera and wagging her finger to deliver the harsh message.
Salazar, who represents what had been seen as a red-trending Miami district, said more than half of the immigrants rounded up by Trump’s immigration agents have no criminal records and came to the U.S. seeking a better life for their families.
“Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies,” Salazar said. “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
Salazar’s Miami district voted for Trump by about 14% in 2024 after being a toss-up in 2020 and going for Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 10% in 2016.
She’s facing a potentially tricky race against Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, a fellow Cuban-American and former south Florida TV anchorman.
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That potent swing to Trump among Latinos helped power his historic comeback White House victory in 2024.
Polls say Latinos are swinging back hard toward Democrats in this fall’s midterms, a shift that has Republicans jittery about congressional races from Texas to Pennsylvania and even Florida, which has become a strongly GOP state.
Salazar urged Trump to make a historic push to help cement his political legacy with Latino voters for generations.
“You can be for immigration what (Abraham) Lincoln was for slavery and (Ronald) Reagan was for communism,” she urged the president. “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.”
There’s little sign that Trump plans to heed Salazar’s advice. Even as polls show increasing opposition, he has pushed an even harder line on undocumented immigrants, hoping the crackdown will solidify his support with his right-wing MAGA base of white working-class voters.
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