María Elvira Salazar, a Republican House member from Florida, has escalated her criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement approach, expressing concern that the president’s policies are damaging his relationship with Hispanic voters. In a Sunday interview on CBS News’s Face the Nation, Salazar cautioned Trump that some of his advisers were not presenting a complete picture of immigration policy and urged him not to alienate the Hispanic electorate that contributed to his electoral success.
Salazar’s remarks centered on the administration’s deportation agenda, though she directed much of her commentary toward Trump himself rather than named officials. When asked whether she was referring to Border Czar Tom Homan or Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Salazar emphasized that Trump bore ultimate responsibility for selecting which advisers to heed. The congresswoman faces a competitive re-election bid in her Miami-area district, where she previously won by 20 points in 2024.
Last week, Salazar released a 30-second campaign advertisement highlighting that approximately half of the 50,000 people detained in July had no criminal records. The ad cautioned that law-abiding undocumented immigrants were being caught in aggressive federal enforcement sweeps. Polling data cited in reporting on her comments suggested that Hispanic voters who supported Trump in 2024 were becoming dissatisfied with the administration, citing concerns about the cost of living, economic management, and the scope of deportation efforts.
Salazar stated that roughly 70 percent of Americans supported some form of immigration reform and distinguished between different categories of undocumented immigrants. Trump responded to her criticism on Saturday, asserting that he was committed to border security and suggesting that Salazar owed her election to his support. House Republican leaders acknowledged internal party divisions on immigration, with Steve Scalise, the second-ranking Republican in the chamber, stating that disagreements existed among Republicans regarding approaches to border security.
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