# Republican warns Trump his immigration push risks Latino voters

> Rep. María Elvira Salazar's ad criticizing Trump's deportation agenda exposes fractures in GOP support among Cuban Americans and Hispanics in Florida.
- Title: Republican warns Trump his immigration push risks Latino…
- Summary: Rep. María Elvira Salazar's ad criticizing Trump's deportation agenda exposes fractures in GOP support among Cuban Americans and Hispanics in Florida. Rep…
- Keywords: maría elvira salazar, trump, immigration, latino voters, florida, republicans, twenty twenty-six midterms, cuban americans, deportations, eliott rodriguez, news, Republican
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/10/18/nx-s1-5978762/maria-elvira-salazar-immigration-trump
- Published: 2026-10-18T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: maría elvira salazar, trump, immigration, latino voters, florida, republicans, twenty twenty-six midterms, cuban americans, deportations, eliott rodriguez, news
## Salazar breaks with Trump on immigration
Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Cuban-American Republican, filmed a television ad at the White House warning President Trump he's gone too far on immigration.

> The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.
## Trump responds with a sharp rebuke
Trump shared a post on TruthSocial calling Salazar a back stabber. Salazar said she later spoke to the president about her concerns.
## What Salazar told Trump privately
Salazar told NPR she explained to Trump what her constituents were feeling. She said it was democracy to tell the president what's happening in her district.

> You know, what I'm telling you is what my people are feeling.
## Trump's twenty twenty-four gains with Latinos at risk
In twenty twenty-four, Trump cut Democrats' margin with Latino voters nationally to just three points, down from twenty-five points four years earlier, according to Pew Research Center.
## Deportations fracturing Cuban-American support
Many Cuban Americans who supported Trump have friends and relatives swept up by his administration's deportation agenda. This crack in support could signal broader trouble for Republican candidates.
## Polling shows Democrats gaining ground
Polling firm Equis Research found Hispanic and Latino registered voters would pick the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate by fifty-seven to thirty-one in a congressional election held today.
## Salazar's past push against deportations
For several years, Salazar has proposed legislation called the Dignity Act to block deportations of immigrants considered pillars of their community, such as hospitality, construction and farm workers.
## Democratic voter says Salazar's too late
Ricardo Carracedo, a Democratic voter from Domino Park, said he won't vote for Salazar because she's defending Hispanics at the last hour after supporting Trump and ICE funding.

> I'm not going to vote for her, because at the last hour she's defending Hispanics. But the entire time she supported Trump and the money Trump wanted for ICE.
## Economy and deportations eclipse other issues
Eduardo Gamarra, a politics professor at Florida International University, says the local economy's malaise is the number one issue, with deportations second, eclipsing the GOP's traditional socialism messaging.
## Democrat Rodriguez challenges Salazar
Eliott Rodriguez, a former broadcast journalist with Cuban roots, is Salazar's Democratic challenger. He wants to revamp the immigration judge system and restore federal food assistance after cuts.
## Republicans favored but Democrats gaining
Polls have shifted towards Democrats in recent weeks, but Republicans are still favored. The Cook Political Report rates the race lean Republican, though GOP will rely on turnout and political machinery.
## Key takeaway

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Cuban-American Republican, warned President Trump his immigration policies have gone too far, signalling GOP concerns about losing Latino voter support ahead of the twenty twenty-six midterms.