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The Republican state senator of Florida, Ileana García, co-founder of the group "Latinas for Trump," launched one of the strongest criticisms from within the Republican Party itself against the immigration policy of the Donald Trump administration.
In interviews with the New York Times, she stated that the government's immigration crackdown "has gone from uncomfortable to unsustainable" and warned that it could cost the party the midterm elections in 2026.
García, a 56-year-old Cuban American and former official of the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's first term, expressed particular outrage over the death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
"This has gone too far. What happened on Saturday was abhorrent," she stated, expressing her feeling of being "perplexed" by how the authorities attempted to portray Pretti as a "domestic terrorist."
"Alex Jeffrey Pretti was an American citizen. He did not draw his weapon and did not assault the officer. ICE agents drew their weapon from its holster before firing. Distorting, politicizing, slandering: justifying what happened to Alex Pretti contradicts the American values that the administration promoted. He was neither a domestic terrorist nor a murderer," wrote on X.
The legislator also reported that the White House "distorts" the facts and that justifying Pretti's death is incompatible with the values that Trump claims to defend.
In the same tweet, he lashed out at Stephen Miller, advisor to President Trump and creator of the White House's anti-immigration policies.
"Allowing individuals like Stephen Miller, among others, who represent the Government and make hardline decisions, to make such comments will have long-term consequences. This is not what I voted for!", he emphasized.
García was a key ally of Trump in 2016: she co-founded "Latinas for Trump" and moved to Washington to work in the public affairs office of the Department of Homeland Security.
At that moment, he supported closing the border with Mexico and building the wall. But now he claims that immigration policy "has gone much further".
But now he believes that Trump "will lose the midterm elections because of Stephen Miller," although he asserts that "he is not absolving" the president for what he is doing.
"I'm not justifying what we're seeing," he emphasized.
The senator has condemned the deportations of Cubans who, in the past, committed non-violent crimes but have been living in the country for decades, as well as the persecution of Venezuelans and migrants from other countries who have settled in the U.S. with residency and work permits.
"Chasing people like this makes no sense. It is wreaking havoc on families and communities and is inhumane," he pointed out.
García also shared personal experiences that have impacted her. She recounted that at the Tallahassee airport, a TSA agent asked her if she was a U.S. citizen (having heard her speaking in Spanish), and she confessed that she feared ICE might detain her own son because of his appearance.
He added that he is not only concerned about immigration, but also the economy, and acknowledged that during Trump's first term, the economy was doing well and there were jobs.
"Now they say that the economy is better. I'm sorry, with all due respect: I do the shopping for my parents and I count the coupons," she detailed.
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