MAGA Outraged After GOP Rep. Runs TV Ad Trashing Trump

Rep. María Elvira Salazar is putting some distance between herself and President Donald Trump on immigration, using a new re-election ad to warn that his administration’s enforcement push risks alienating Hispanic voters.

The Florida Republican, who backed Trump in 2024 and encouraged Hispanic voters to support his return to the White House, made the unusual public appeal as she campaigns for another term in her Miami-area district.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisors are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” she warned in the ad.

Salazar then pitched Trump on pursuing a different approach to the millions of illegal immigrants already living in the country.

She continued: “You can be for immigration what [Abraham] Lincoln was for slavery and [Ronald] Reagan was for communism. I’m not talking about giving them amnesty. I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land.”

The ad puts Salazar at odds with Trump on one of the president’s signature second-term priorities just weeks before the November midterm elections.

Trump returned to office promising a sweeping immigration enforcement operation after illegal border crossings surged during the Biden administration. Salazar, meanwhile, has spent years pushing Congress to overhaul the immigration system through legislation.

This is a stunning ad from Maria Elvira Salazar, a south Florida House Republican.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisers are… pic.twitter.com/9AGWPWLuiM

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 17, 2026

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At the center of her effort is the DIGNIDAD Act, a bill that claims to combine tougher border and immigration enforcement measures with legal status for certain illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for years. Most Republicans view the bill as an amnesty proposal.

The legislation would require nationwide E-Verify, expand border barriers and surveillance, increase penalties for smugglers and traffickers, overhaul asylum processing, and impose tougher enforcement measures.

It would also establish a seven-year program allowing qualifying illegal immigrants who entered the country before Dec. 31, 2020, to remain legally if they pass a criminal background check, pay back taxes, comply with federal and state laws, and pay $7,000 in restitution.

That approach has faced resistance from some Republicans who argue that granting legal status to illegal immigrants amounts to amnesty. Salazar has pushed back on that characterization while continuing to promote the legislation.

Her latest ad now directs that disagreement at Trump as she prepares to face Democratic nominee Eliott Rodriguez in Florida’s 27th Congressional District in November.

Salazar won the Republican primary in August. She has otherwise aligned herself with Trump and endorsed his successful 2024 campaign, making the public immigration disagreement particularly notable heading into the final stretch of the midterms.

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