The Cuban-American Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar posted a bilingual video—interviewed in Spanish and English—on Thursday from her personal account on X, filmed in front of the White House, where she directly confronts President Trump over his mass deportation policies and warns that the Hispanic voters who brought him to power "now feel betrayed."
The message is the first of several campaign announcements that Salazar plans to launch ahead of the general elections on November 3, 2026, in which he seeks his fourth consecutive term in Florida's 27th District (CD-27).
Florida Politics reported that the ad is actually aimed specifically at the voters in a district where 73.5% of the residents are Hispanic and more than half were born outside of the United States.
"Mr. President, your immigration policies have gone too far. In July, your government detained fifty thousand people, and half of them had no criminal records. Be careful with what your advisors are telling you," Salazar says in the video.
He then adds, "I’m not talking about amnesty; I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in the promised land, and only you can do that."
Las políticas de deportación masiva y sus efectos en la comunidad hispana siguen generando debate. Mantente informado sobre todos los desarrollos en nuestra sección de
Warns Trump, but does not take a stance against him
In the English version, the congresswoman goes further and compares Trump's potential legacy on immigration with that of Abraham Lincoln regarding slavery and Ronald Reagan concerning communism.
However, this is not the first time that Salazar has clashed with the hardliners of her own party on the immigration issue. In December 2025, she referred to the immigration pause imposed by Trump on citizens of Cuba and 18 other countries as "anti-American," describing it as a "collective punishment" for those who followed every step of the legal process.
In March of that same year, she defended immigrants without criminal records with the phrase "the just should not pay for the sins of the wicked" and interceded for Cubans with I-220A and recipients of Temporary Protected Status.
In June, she distanced herself from President Donald Trump's stance by publicly supporting the Supreme Court ruling that upholds birthright citizenship for children of parents without legal status in the United States.
María Elvira Salazar is also the main proponent of the Dignity Act (Dignity Act), which she reintroduced in July 2025 along with the Democrat Veronica Escobar. The bipartisan proposal does not offer amnesty or a direct path to citizenship, but rather renewable seven-year periods of protection against deportation for those who work or study and pay restitution.
A survey shows a tight race
Salazar's opponent in November is Eliott Rodríguez, a former presenter of CBS Miami and also a Cuban-American, who has made immigration his main campaign issue against the congresswoman.
An internal survey conducted by Bendixen & Amandi International for Rodriguez's campaign shows a tie at 45% among likely voters, with Trump registering a 54% disapproval rate in the district. Multiple analysts have reclassified the seat from "solidly Republican" to "likely Republican."
Salazar has a financial advantage —2 million dollars in cash compared to Rodríguez's 661,000—, but he has declined three invitations for televised debates that his opponent has accepted.
Debate following María Elvira's video to Trump
The reactions to the video on social media were mostly skeptical. Among the most prominent voices is the activist and communicator Carlos Eduardo Espina.
"Don't think about deleting this video, María Elvira, because we know how you are. You're very scared, but it's already too late. You're leaving in November," said the influencer in the comments on the post.
Several users questioned the timing chosen by the congresswoman to confront Trump. "We appreciate your words, but we must acknowledge what is wrong, and I believe you are recognizing it very close to the elections," wrote one person.
Another user pointed out: "If they delete this video, we know they've called her again."
The general elections in Florida are held on November 3, and CD-27 is one of the six seats in the state that the Democratic Congressional Committee considers to be in contention.
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