GOP Lawmaker Doubles Down on Criticism of Trump’s Immigration Policies - Newsweek

Representative María Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican who recently drew the ire of some MAGA supporters after accusing President Donald Trump's administration of going too far on immigration enforcement, doubled down on those concerns Sunday and said some of the president's advisers are "compromising his legacy."

Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, Salazar defended a campaign ad released last week in which she warned Trump that some immigration policies had alienated Hispanic voters who helped return him to the White House in 2024.

The congresswoman said she had personally delivered that message to the president during a recent conversation.

"It was a very good conversation. He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive," Salazar said. She said she told Trump the same thing she said in her campaign ad: that Hispanic voters who supported him in 2024 feel "betrayed" by some of the administration's immigration enforcement efforts. She added that she told him, "'Sir, you have this moment in history where you can keep the pot of gold that you brought to the GOP in 2024.'"

Salazar, who represents Florida's 27th Congressional District in the Miami area, added that she urged Trump not to "squander" support he has won among Hispanic voters.

"'No other president was able to convince the Hispanics to vote 55 points for a GOP president. Please preserve that fortune that you have brought to the party,'" she said, referring to Trump's gains among Hispanic voters in 2024.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Sunday.

The remarks closely echoed those in a campaign advertisement released Thursday, in which Salazar warned that some of the administration's immigration enforcement efforts had "gone too far" and said Hispanic voters "feel betrayed."

The ad marked one of the sharpest public criticisms of Trump's immigration policies from a sitting Republican member of Congress.

On Sunday, Salazar again argued Americans distinguish between violent offenders and immigrants who have built lives in the country.

"The average American understands the difference between the narco and the nanny and the gangster and the gardener," she said.

She also suggested Trump is capable of pursuing broader immigration reform.

"He had said it over the last two years that there are good people picking up the jalapeno peppers, working in agricultural, construction, hospitality, healthcare, and manufacturing," Salazar said. "He is a construction and hospitality guy. He gets it more than anybody."

Salazar argued the president has a unique opportunity to resolve what she described as a decades-long immigration problem.

"I told him during our conversation, you could fix this mess that has been happening for 40 years. He's the only person who can do it because he gets it. He's a businessman."

When pressed by moderator Margaret Brennan about her claim in the ad that Trump was receiving bad advice from some aides, Salazar declined to identify specific officials.

However, she sharpened her criticism of the president's inner circle.

"I think that some of his advisers are compromising his legacy," she said.

Brennan specifically mentioned Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, border czar Tom Homan and White House adviser Stephen Miller, but Salazar refused to name names.

"He's the president," she said. "He is the one who has to determine who he listens and who he does not listen to."

The comments come amid an ongoing debate inside Republican circles over how aggressively the administration should pursue deportations and whether long-term undocumented immigrants should be offered any legal pathway to remain in the United States.

Salazar's latest comments are consistent with positions she has taken for years.

The daughter of Cuban immigrants has been one of the Republican Party's most prominent advocates for immigration reform and has repeatedly promoted her Dignity Act legislation, which would create a legal process for certain undocumented immigrants already living in the United States while also strengthening border security.

She has frequently argued that border security and immigration reform should be treated as separate issues and has opposed deporting some immigrants who have lived in the country for years without criminal records.

Last year, Salazar said she believed the administration should focus on criminals rather than undocumented immigrants with deep roots in the United States, a position she reiterated Sunday.

Salazar's comments come as some polling has suggested Republicans' advantage on immigration has narrowed since Trump returned to office. An August Reuters/Ipsos survey found 40 percent of registered voters said Republicans had the better approach on immigration, compared to 38 percent who chose Democrats, the smallest gap of Trump's second term.

A separate Gallup survey released in July found 73 percent of Americans viewed immigration as a good thing for the country, while just 29 percent said immigration levels should be reduced. Support for reducing immigration among Republicans has also fallen from its 2024 peak, according to Gallup.

The ad triggered an immediate backlash from some MAGA activists and commentators.

Conservative personalities including Tomi Lahren, Laura Loomer and others accused Salazar of undermining Trump's immigration agenda and called on the president to withdraw his endorsement.

The criticism was not entirely new. Earlier this year, Salazar's Dignity Act also drew attacks from immigration hardliners, with some Republicans labeling the proposal "amnesty." Those attacks prompted a public clash between Salazar and Republican Representative Brandon Gill over the legislation.

Despite that backlash, Salazar has continued to argue that immigration reform is necessary and has insisted her proposals do not constitute amnesty.

For his part, Trump responded to Salazar's ad with criticism, but stopped short of withdrawing support.

"She obviously doesn't have a very strong feeling for the border, but I do," Trump told reporters Friday. "She's a nice person. I got her elected. Without me, she wouldn't have gotten elected."

The president also emphasized his continued commitment to strict border enforcement, saying immigration was a key reason for his electoral success.

Still, Trump did not revoke the endorsement he gave Salazar earlier this year, when he praised her "Wisdom and Courage" and offered his "Complete and Total Endorsement."

Sunday's interview suggests Salazar is not backing away from her message despite criticism from both the MAGA movement and the White House.

"I am a proud Republican," she said. "I'm coming from a good place. I'm telling him, 'Sir, look what you did. Don't squander it.'"