UNITED STATES – MAY 20: Reps. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., conduct a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on developments regarding Cuba including the indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro, on Wednesday, May 20,
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A Republican congressional representative in a heated reelection bid in Florida released a new ad saying President Donald Trump has “gone too far” in his immigration enforcement practices in the country.
United States Representative Maria Elvira Salazar released the new campaign ad directly addressing President Trump, saying, “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar said in the ad.
Standing in front of the White House, she continued with several stats and figures regarding ICE data and those detained, “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
Dig deeper:
Salazar has served as Florida’s 27th congressional district since winning the seat in 2020. She represents a heavily Latino district in South Florida, which includes the heart of Miami and Little Havana, home to thousands of immigrants from the Caribbean, Central and South America.
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Big picture view:
Republican support from Cuban and Venezuelan descent voters has traditionally been high in South Florida. However, recent immigration enforcement policies have shown some cause for concern. Democrats are now eyeing the district as a viable opportunity to flip.
The backstory:
The Trump administration has been aggressively cracking down on immigration, specifically in his second term. The fallout initially featured large street-level enforcement operations. While detentions and deportations remain high, public backlash has caused the administration to scale back some of their highly visible operations.
By the numbers:
Just last year alone, the Trump administration removed at least 1,379 Cubans from the U.S. to Cuba via deportation flights and at least 3,753 Cubans to Mexico across the land border, according to human rights advocacy group Human Rights First.
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