Congresswoman Salazar's new ad challenging Trump on immigration is rare move for sitting GOP member, professor says

U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar is publicly challenging President Donald Trump over his administration's immigration enforcement policies in a new campaign advertisement released less than seven weeks before the midterm elections.

"Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far," Salazar says at the beginning of the 30-second ad released Thursday.

The Republican congresswoman, who is seeking reelection in Florida's 27th Congressional District, is addressing an issue with particular significance in her Miami-area district, where nearly three-quarters of families are Hispanic, according to U.S. Census data.

The video is Salazar's first general-election advertisement of the 2026 campaign. She directly warns Trump about the impact his immigration policies could have on Hispanic voters.

"In July, 50% of the 50,000 people who were detained had no criminal record," Salazar says. "Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policies. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today."

Trump received approximately 57% of the 2024 presidential vote within the current boundaries of Florida's 27th Congressional District, compared with roughly 42% for Democrat Kamala Harris.

Barry University political science professor Sean Foreman called Salazar's decision to directly criticize a president from her own party notable.

"She seems to be confronting him on his immigration policies, and that is very rare for a sitting member of Congress to criticize their own president from their party," Foreman said.

Foreman said the message could be intended to reach independent and moderate voters who are dissatisfied with the administration's immigration policies.

"In order to win this race, she's trying to carve out some support from independents and moderates who might be very frustrated, even angry, by President Trump's immigration policy, which particularly is hitting very close to home here with the ending of TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians," Foreman said.

Salazar also uses the advertisement to appeal directly to Trump to take a different approach to immigration.

"You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery, and Reagan was for communism," Salazar says. "I'm not talking about giving them amnesty. I'm talking about giving them a dignified life in a promised land, and only you can do that."

Salazar has previously advocated for immigration legislation that would provide legal status to some undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for years, alongside border enforcement provisions.

Her Democratic opponent, former CBS News Miami anchor Eliott Rodriguez, criticized Salazar's message and her record on immigration.

"That video is mind-boggling," Rodriguez said. "Let's be clear: María Elvira Salazar is part of Donald Trump's immigration agenda. She tries to paint herself as an advocate and a champion of immigrants, but she votes contrary to that."

Rodriguez, who won the Democratic primary in August, said immigration and affordability drove him into the race.

Foreman said the move also carries political risks, particularly because Trump has endorsed her reelection campaign.

"We know how Donald Trump responds to criticism," Foreman said. "He doesn't like it, and he usually comes back even harder with criticism against the person and the thing they're criticizing about him."

As of Thursday, Trump had not publicly responded to Salazar's advertisement, according to multiple published reports.

CBS News Miami reached out to Salazar's campaign for comment about the advertisement but had not received a response.