GOP Lawmaker Doubles Down on Criticism of Trump's Immigration Policies

Florida Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar, who has faced criticism from some MAGA supporters over her accusations that President Donald Trump's administration has taken immigration enforcement too far, defended those concerns on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. Speaking with moderator Margaret Brennan, Salazar criticized some of Trump's advisers for compromising his legacy.

She said she had recently spoken with the president, describing their conversation as "a very good conversation," and said she had told Trump the same message she had conveyed in a recent campaign ad. Salazar warned that some of Trump's immigration policies had alienated Hispanic voters who had helped return him to the White House in 2024.

She pleaded with the president not to squander the support he had gained among Hispanic voters, emphasizing that no other president had been able to secure 55% of the Hispanic vote for a GOP candidate. Salazar argued that Americans could distinguish between violent offenders and immigrants who had built lives in the country, and she suggested that Trump could pursue broader immigration reform, given his understanding of the issue as a businessman.

When asked about her claim in the ad that Trump was receiving bad advice from some aides, Salazar declined to name specific officials. She reiterated her position that border security and immigration reform should be treated as separate issues and opposed deporting some undocumented immigrants with deep roots in the United States and who have no criminal records.