Sitting Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar defies Trump despite his endorsement in rare move

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Maria Elvira Salazar from Florida released a new campaign advertisement this week publicly breaking with President Donald Trump over his administration's immigration enforcement policies, a notably bold move given that Trump has endorsed her re-election bid in Florida's 27th Congressional District.

Salazar’s pointed critique of a signature piece of Trump’s second-term agenda comes as the president has been losing support among Hispanic voters amid backlash to his aggressive deportation push, reversing the inroads he made during the 2024 campaign.

A rare break from president in her own party

The ad, Salazar's first general-election spot of the 2026 campaign, aims at Donald Trump by suggesting that his agenda will alienate Hispanic voters in her Miami district, where nearly 75% of families are Hispanic, according to Census Bureau estimates.

“Mr President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar says in the ad, adding: “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

The video is Salazar's first general-election advertisement of the 2026 campaign. She directly warns Trump about the impact his immigration policies could have on Hispanic voters.

"In July, 50% of the 50,000 people who were detained had no criminal record," Salazar says. "Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today."

Trump received approximately 57% of the 2024 presidential vote within the current boundaries of Florida's 27th Congressional District, compared with roughly 42% for Democrat Kamala Harris.

A risky strategy defying her own party leader

Barry University political science professor Sean Foreman called Salazar's decision to directly criticize a president from her own party notable.

"She seems to be confronting him on his immigration policies, and that is very rare for a sitting member of Congress to criticize their own president from their party," Foreman said.

Foreman said the message could be intended to reach independent and moderate voters who are dissatisfied with the administration's immigration policies.

"In order to win this race, she's trying to carve out some support from independents and moderates who might be very frustrated, even angry, by President Trump's immigration policy, which particularly is hitting very close to home here with the ending of TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians," Foreman said.

Salazar also uses the advertisement to appeal directly to Trump to take a different approach to immigration.

"You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery, and Reagan was for communism," Salazar says. "I'm not talking about giving them amnesty. I'm talking about giving them a dignified life in a promised land, and only you can do that."

As of Thursday, Trump had not publicly responded to the ad. Salazar's Democratic opponent, former CBS News Miami anchor Eliott Rodriguez, dismissed the ad as inconsistent with her voting record.