In campaign ad, GOP congresswoman says Trump’s immigration enforcement has “gone too far”

September 17, 2026 / 11:54 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida warned President Trump in a new campaign ad that some of his immigration enforcement campaigns have "gone too far" and said that Hispanic voters who propelled him to the White House in 2024 "feel betrayed."

Salazar, who is Cuban-American, has been critical of the president's deportation efforts before, but her message on immigration serves as a stark example of a GOP candidate distancing herself from the president just weeks before the midterm elections.

"Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far," Salazar said in her ad. "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. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today. You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism. I'm not talking about giving them amnesty. I'm talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land."

Salazar's Miami-area district is Republican-leaning, and nearly three-quarters of the population is Hispanic, according to Census…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/