Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar said she spoke by phone with President Trump and that he was "very receptive" after she warned Hispanic voters feel "betrayed" by parts of his immigration policy. She released an ad saying 50% of ICE detainees in July reportedly had no criminal record and urged bipartisan reform, including a bill she sponsors to grant renewable legal status to certain undocumented immigrants. Trump and other GOP leaders publicly pushed back, highlighting ongoing Republican disagreements over immigration strategy.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar Says Trump Was ‘Very Receptive’ After She Warned Hispanic Voters Feel 'Betrayed'
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar talks to reporters following a House Republican conference in the basement of the US Capitol on September 1 in Washington, DC. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar said she spoke by phone with President Donald Trump and that he was "very receptive" to her warning that some Hispanic voters feel "betrayed" by elements of his immigration agenda as the midterm elections approach.
What Salazar Told Trump
The Florida Republican told CBS' Face the Nation she had a "very good conversation" with the president after releasing a campaign ad the previous Thursday. In the ad, she argued that "some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far," and cited a statistic she attributed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that 50% of people detained in July had "no criminal record." She presented the message as a warning to help preserve the GOP's support among Hispanic voters.
"He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive," Salazar said of Trump. "You have this moment in history where you can keep the pot of gold that you brought to the GOP in 2024."
White House Response And Salazar's Goals
A White House official confirmed to CNN that Salazar and the president spoke by phone but did not provide details. Salazar said she emphasized her desire to maintain Republican control in Washington to prevent what she described as a "very big threat" from socialism. She also argued that Trump, as a businessman with experience in construction and hospitality, "gets it" and could help build bipartisan support for immigration legislation.
Salazar is sponsoring a bipartisan bill that would give certain undocumented immigrants without criminal records a renewable period of legal status. She said the measure is designed to strike a balance between border security and humane, practical immigration reform.
Pushback From Trump And GOP Leaders
Trump pushed back publicly, telling reporters he disagreed with Salazar's tone: "I'm very strong on the borders, and she isn't," while also asserting he helped her politically in the past: "Maria won only because of me," he said, adding that she had "got a little bit soft on the border."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledged that Republicans disagree on how best to secure the border and address interior immigration issues, and disputed Salazar's suggestion that Hispanic voters who supported Trump feel betrayed. "I love Maria, and we've talked," Scalise said, adding the party's priority is to "reestablish a sense of law and order in America and get back to the rule of law."
Context
Salazar represents a majority-Hispanic district in South Florida that backed Trump by nearly 15 points in 2024. Recent polling has suggested portions of that electorate are drifting from the president as his overall approval ratings decline. Salazar framed her ad and her conversation with Trump as an effort to preserve GOP gains with Hispanic voters while advocating for targeted, bipartisan immigration reform.
Note: The ICE statistic referenced in Salazar's ad is presented as her claim and attribution; readers should consult ICE or independent fact-checks for verification.
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