The Department of Homeland Security of the United States (DHS) responded this Thursday to Cuban-American Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar after she stated that President Donald Trump's immigration policies "have gone too far".
The response was delivered to Fox News and shared on X by the network's congressional correspondent, Bill Melugin, who explained that DHS was reacting directly to the video published by Salazar in front of the White House.
"Beneath the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, there will be NO amnesty for illegal immigrants. Not now, not ever," stated a spokesperson for the Department.
DHS also emphasized that it prioritizes the deportation policy promised by Trump during his campaign.
"DHS is focused on carrying out the most historic mass deportation campaign in the history of the United States, just as President Trump promised," said the spokesperson.
The response included a direct reference to the congresswoman from Florida: «Whether Congresswoman Salazar likes it or not, the men and women of ICE are enforcing the laws passed by Congress».
The DHS intensified its message by rejecting any leniency for immigrants who are in the country without legal status.
“To be clear: the only thing that the United States should give to illegal immigrants is a one-way ticket home, or a generous check of $3,000 for them to self-deport immediately. We will not ignore the rule of law,” the spokesperson concluded.
The response from DHS came after Salazar publicly confronted Trump about his immigration policy in a bilingual announcement recorded in front of the White House as part of her reelection campaign.
"Mr. President, your immigration policies have gone too far. In July, your government detained fifty thousand people, and half of them had no criminal record. Be careful with what your advisors tell you," said the congresswoman in the Spanish version of the video.
Salazar added: "I am not talking about amnesty, I am talking about giving them a dignified life in the promised land and only you can do that."
In the English version, the legislator also stated that the Hispanic voters who helped Trump return to the White House in 2024 "feel betrayed today".
Salazar's position also sparked criticism from conservative sectors. The commentator from Fox News, Tomi Lahren, called on the president this Thursday to withdraw his support for the congresswoman, accusing her of betraying the president and his voters.
This is an absolute betrayal of Trump and his 77 million voters. President Trump should immediately revoke all support and endorsement for this woman, wrote Lahren.
Trump had expressed his support for Salazar in February for re-election in Florida's 27th District, where the congresswoman is seeking a fourth consecutive term in the elections on November 3.
Salazar had already clashed with some of the immigration decisions of the Trump administration.
In December 2025, she described the suspension of certain immigration processes for citizens of Cuba and 18 other countries as "anti-American," considering it a "collective punishment" for individuals who had followed legal procedures.
The congresswoman is also one of the main proponents of the Dignity Act of 2025, a bipartisan proposal presented alongside Democrat Veronica Escobar that aims to provide a path to legalization for certain undocumented immigrants without criminal records who have resided in the United States for at least five years.
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