Rep. María Elvira Salazar released an ad on Thursday directly criticizing some of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts and calling on him to remember the Hispanic voters who propelled him to the White House in 2024.
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” the Florida Republican, who is running for reelection in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, said in the 30-second spot. “In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy.”
Salazar added that Trump needed to consider that “the same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” and compared what the president could do for the immigrant community to “what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism.”
Salazar is running against Democratic nominee Eliott Rodriguez, a former TV anchor, in the red-leaning district, which includes parts of Miami.
Trending
Salazar previously criticized Trump’s immigration rhetoric. She has advocated for maintaining Temporary Protected Status for some immigrant groups, including Venezuelans, and sponsored legislation to protect their status in the U.S. She has also attempted to force votes on legislation that would provide pathways to permanent citizenship for individuals with TPS and dreamers, undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children.
“I’m not talking about giving them amnesty. I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land,” Salazar said in the ad, which is also running in Spanish.
In the ad, Salazar appeared to be near Lafayette Park in front of the White House, which is an area that has been fenced off from the public since January. Newsmax White House producer Marisela Ramirez posted a photo to X of Salazar with a film crew in front of the park, saying she took it on Sept. 3.
The park has historically served as an area for protests, and Trump announced in June that the renovation to the park was almost complete.
Salazar cited July detention data in the ad, so it appears that it was filmed in the last few months.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Author
