Trump-Backed Salazar Tells Him Immigration Went 'Too Far'

Trump-backed Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar released an ad saying his immigration crackdown went too far and Hispanics feel betrayed.

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a three-term Florida Republican facing re-election on November 3, released a 30-second ad on Thursday recorded in English and Spanish in front of the White House. Speaking directly to the camera, she tells Trump: 'Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,' adding that 'the same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.' She urges him to 'be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy,' and says she is not asking for amnesty but for immigrants to be given 'a dignified life in this promised land.' Her campaign says the video is the first of multiple ads planned before Election Day, according to Time.

The rupture is striking because Trump personally endorsed Salazar's re-election bid in February, writing on Truth Social that she was doing a 'truly fantastic job' and would 'NEVER LET YOU DOWN,' according to Time. The Associated Press notes some Republicans have quietly tweaked messaging this cycle, but Salazar chose a bolder public break — addressing the President by name — despite Trump's history of endorsing primary challengers against defectors, as he did in Kentucky, where Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in May.

In the ad, Salazar cites figures she says show that half of the people detained by ICE in July had no criminal record. Talking Points Memo, citing a New York Times analysis of July arrest data, reports that just 4 percent of those arrested that month had a prior violent criminal conviction, and that many detainees were married to U.S. citizens or pursuing asylum claims. CNN reports ICE took about 51,000 people into custody in August, a new high under the second Trump administration, after more than 46,000 in July. Reuters-Ipsos polling cited by ABC found Trump's immigration approval fell to 39 percent from 50 percent in January 2025.

Salazar's seat, covering much of Miami-Dade County, is rated 'Likely Republican' by the Cook Political Report, according to Time, though ABC reports Democrats view it as one of their better pickup opportunities. She faces Democrat Eliott Rodríguez, a fellow Cuban American and former TV news anchor, and Time reports the foreign-born population in her district exceeds 54 percent, among the highest of any House district. With roughly three-quarters of the district identifying as Hispanic, per CNN, the ad is a direct appeal to Latino voters who backed Trump in 2024 but have grown frustrated with raids and record detentions.

The ad is not Salazar's first dissent. Earlier this week she demanded the administration not deport Luis Galeano, an exiled Nicaraguan journalist stripped of his citizenship by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship whose asylum case remains pending, writing that 'America must always know the difference between a criminal and a political exile,' per Time. She is also backing an updated DIGNITY Act (H.R.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to CNN and ABC. Salazar's team plans additional ads before November 3, per Time, signaling the immigration rift will stay central to her campaign even as Cook rates her the favorite. Whether the direct appeal moves Trump, who has railed against defectors before, remains the open question of the final six weeks.