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Florida Republican María Elvira Salazar Calls Out Trump’s Immigration Crackdown in TV Ad
By Drooid · · How we work
Salazar Launches TV Ad Criticizing Trump’s Immigration Enforcement
On November 3, Representative María Elvira Salazar aired a television advertisement that directly addressed President Donald Trump. The ad marks one of the most prominent public breakaways by a Republican lawmaker from the administration’s hard-line immigration stance.
Context and Statistics of the 27th District
Florida’s 27th Congressional District, which Salazar has represented since 2022, encompasses southern Miami-Dade County—including Doral, Coral Gables, Hialeah and Kendall. A U.S. Census Bureau community survey estimates the district’s Hispanic population at 73 %, with 55 % of residents foreign-born. A Newsweek report estimated ? 216,000 people in the district are undocumented or live with undocumented immigrants, and about 12,000 hold Temporary Protected Status. In the 2024 election, Salazar won 60.4 % of the vote against Democrat Lucia Baez-Geller’s 39.6 %, while the district voted for Trump by a 15-point margin.
Polling ahead of the 2026 midterms shows a tightening race. A Blueprint Polling survey conducted on March 12 gave Salazar 46 % versus Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez’s 43 %. A later survey commissioned by Rodriguez’s campaign, conducted by Bendixen & Amandi International, indicated a 7-point lead for Rodriguez. Recent surveys also show declining public support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the district.
Official Statements from Salazar
In the ad, Salazar said, “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far.” During a November 2024 PBS NewsHour appearance, Salazar asserted she expected the new administration to focus enforcement on recent arrivals with criminal records, not on long-standing undocumented residents, and highlighted her role in drafting the bipartisan Dignity Act, which would create a “Dignity Program” for temporary legal status without granting citizenship.
Opposition Reactions
Democratic former Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell criticized the ad on X, calling it “deceiving.” Both opponents framed the ad as out of step with the district’s immigrant community.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” — Ms. Salazar — Ms. Salazar