In a recent gathering at an upscale Miami brewery, a group of women convened to hear from U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, who spoke about the Republican strategy to maintain their narrow majority in the House of Representatives in the upcoming elections. While presenting his plan, the topic of immigration was notably absent from his speech.
Diaz-Balart, alongside fellow South Florida House Republicans with Cuban heritage, faces a delicate balancing act in navigating President Donald Trump’s assertive immigration policy. This policy has notably impacted Cubans and Venezuelans—key constituencies for the GOP in Florida. The Democrats, meanwhile, view U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s district as a potential opportunity for a seat flip in the coming year.
In response, Miami Democrats have installed a billboard on a busy highway featuring the images of the three representatives, along with Marco Rubio, formerly a Florida senator. The billboard brands them as “traitors” due to their support of Trump amidst his efforts to dismantle protective measures for thousands of immigrants, including Venezuelans and Cubans.
Despite Trump being the first Republican in decades to win Miami-Dade County during the presidential election, Democrats believe the stringent immigration policies could backfire on Republican incumbents if they adversely affect local immigrant communities.
During a session with Republican women, Diaz-Balart fielded a question about the temporary immigration protections for Venezuelans that Trump aims to rescind. He defended the president’s track record, emphasizing Trump’s fulfillment of campaign promises.
Maria Elvira Salazar, one of the prominent voices among the three, has been outspoken in asserting that Trump should preserve some popular immigration protections. Despite a federal judge blocking the termination of temporary legal protections for Venezuelans, Salazar attributed the outcome to Trump rather than the judiciary, commending him for the decision.
Salazar criticized President Joe Biden for modifying influential policies affecting Cuban immigrants. She claims she has intervened to prevent deportations under revised regulations and secured the release of a Cuban nursing student. Positioning her efforts as aligned with her community, she shared her perspective through a video published in Spanish.
She argues for a balanced immigration approach, distinguishing between deporting criminal immigrants and advocating for dignity and legitimacy for long-time, law-abiding residents contributing to the economy.
Addressing allegations of “complicity” with Trump’s policies in a Miami Herald column, Salazar defended her record, emphasizing her proactive role in Congress regarding immigration issues.
Representative Diaz-Balart issued a joint statement with Salazar and fellow Congressman Carlos Gimenez, reinforcing their solidarity with Venezuelans potentially facing persecution upon deportation. Despite defending Trump’s immigration actions, Diaz-Balart has pushed for structured processes to identify genuine asylum cases and provided criticism towards current illegal immigration trends allegedly rising under Biden.
Carlos Gimenez, a former Miami-Dade mayor, has echoed support for Trump’s immigration crackdown. However, his hardline stance extends to proposing a cessation of remittances and travel to Cuba, affecting more recent immigrants who maintain family ties there.
Gimenez communicated to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about potentially allowing some exceptions to this blockade but underscored the need to weaken the Cuban government’s economic streams.
A spokesperson for Gimenez relayed that these measures are warranted to back the Cuban people’s aspirations for freedom and advocated for accuracy in scrutinizing individual asylum cases, attributing current immigration gridlocks to Biden’s policies.