MIAMI.- The congressman Republican María Elvira Salazar, of Cuban origin, questioned this Thursday in a video the deportation policy of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and considered that the immigration laws “have gone too far.” After this, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) He pointed out that “there will be no amnesty for illegal immigrants.”
“Mr. President, some of your immigration control measures have gone too far,” said María Elvira Salazar, representative of Florida, in a 30-second video.
He noted that, in July, 50% of the 50,000 people detained had no criminal record. “Be careful what your advisors tell you about immigration policy,” indicated the congresswoman.
In his statements, Salazar assured Trump. “The same Hispanics who helped him reach the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
He also told the Republican president: “You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan for communism. I’m not talking about granting them an amnesty. I’m talking about giving them a decent life in this promised land.”
Journalist Bill Melugin, correspondent for Fox Newsbroadcast on X the response that a DHS spokesperson sent to the news channel: “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, there will be NO amnesty for illegal immigrants. Not now, not ever. DHS is focused on carrying out the MOST HISTORIC mass deportation campaign in US history—exactly as President Trump promised.”
The spokesperson also stated: “Whether Congresswoman Salazar likes it or not, the men and women of ICE are enforcing the laws passed by Congress. To be clear: the only thing the United States should give illegal immigrants is a one-way ticket home, or a generous $3,000 check to immediately self-deport. We will not ignore the rule of law.”
Trump campaigned on promising to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history and has dramatically increased arrests since his return to office.
Road to the elections
The Republican president endorsed María Elvira Salazar earlier this year, although the congresswoman has long defended legal status for some undocumented immigrants, Hispanics as well as Haitians, who are pending deportation after being denied temporary protected status.
Salazar represents a competitive Miami-area district, whose population is almost three-quarters Hispanic, and where Trump won by a 15-point margin two years ago after a campaign in which he promised to carry out “mass deportations.”
Although the congresswoman achieved reelection in 2024 with a 20-point lead, this year she faces a significant challenge from Eliott Rodríguez, the Democratic candidate and former television news anchor. A poll conducted for his campaign late last month had him tied with Salazar.
Rodríguez challenged Salazar, in August, to participate in three televised debates before the general elections on November 3, in which both will compete to represent Florida’s 27th district in the United States House of Representatives.
The proposal includes two meetings in English and one completely in Spanish, a distribution that Rodríguez’s campaign justified due to the linguistic composition of the constituency.
