Representative María Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican who recently drew the ire of some MAGA supporters after accusing President Donald Trump's administration of going too far on immigration enforcement, doubled down on those concerns Sunday.Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation, the congresswoman defended a campaign ad released last week criticizing some of the administration's immigration enforcement efforts.Salazar, who represents Florida's 27th Congressional District, said she had personally delivered that message to the president during a recent conversation."It was a very good conversation. He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive," Salazar said on Sunday. She said she told the president the same thing she said in her campaign ad—that Hispanic voters who supported him in the last election feel "betrayed" by some of the administration's immigration policies. She added that she told him, "'Sir, you have this moment in history where you can keep the pot of gold that you brought to the GOP in 2024.'""I am a proud Republican," she said. "I'm coming from a good place. I'm telling him, 'Sir, look what you did. Don't squander it.'"She added, "'No other president was able to convince the Hispanics to vote 55 points for a GOP president. Please preserve that fortune that you have brought to the party,'" referring to Trump's gains among Hispanic voters in 2024.A White House spokesperson confirmed that Trump and Salazar spoke and referred Newsweek to Trump's previous public remarks on the issue.Salazar Repeats Criticism of Immigration EnforcementSalazar's remarks reiterated themes from the campaign advertisement she released Thursday.In the ad, Salazar, who is campaigning for reelection in the November midterms, directly spoke to Trump about his immigration policies."Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far," she said. "In July, 50 percent of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy.""You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism," she added. "I'm not talking about giving them amnesty. I'm talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land."The ad marked one of the sharpest public criticisms of Trump's immigration policies from a sitting Republican member of Congress.Salazar argued on Sunday that Americans can distinguish between violent offenders and immigrants who have built lives in the country."The average American understands the difference between the narco and the nanny and the gangster and the gardener," she said, while also suggesting that Trump is capable of pursuing broader immigration reform."He had said it over the last two years that there are good people picking up the jalapeno peppers, working in agricultural, construction, hospitality, healthcare, and manufacturing," Salazar said. "He is a construction and hospitality guy. He gets it more than anybody."The congresswoman said the president has a unique opportunity to resolve what she described as a decades-long immigration problem."I told him during our conversation, you could fix this mess that has been happening for 40 years. He's the only person who can do it because he gets it. He's a businessman."...'Compromising His Legacy'When pressed by moderator Margaret Brennan about her claim in the ad that Trump was receiving bad advice from some aides, Salazar declined to identify specific officials. However, she sharpened her criticism of the president's inner circle."I think that some of his advisers are compromising his legacy," she said.Brennan specifically mentioned Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, border czar Tom Homan and White House adviser Stephen Miller, but Salazar refused to name names."He's the president," she said. "He is the one who has to determine who he listens and who he does not listen to."The comments come amid an ongoing debate inside Republican circles over how aggressively the administration should pursue deportations and whether long-term undocumented immigrants should be offered any legal pathway to remain in the United States.A Long History on Immigration ReformCongress has failed to pass widespread immigration reform for nearly 40 years, with the last changes being modifications to the 1950s Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in the early 1990s. Under President Joe Biden, efforts were made for bipartisan reforms, but the measures ultimately failed when Republicans refused to provide widespread support.Salazar's latest comments are consistent with positions she has taken for years.The daughter of Cuban immigrants has been one of the Republican Party's most prominent advocates for immigration reform and has repeatedly promoted her bipartisan Dignity Act legislation, which would create a legal process for certain undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S. while also strengthening border security. The bill does not offer a direct path to citizenship—something Salazar has repeatedly emphasized.She has frequently argued that border security and immigration reform should be treated as separate issues and has opposed deporting some immigrants who have lived in the country for years without criminal records.Last year, Salazar said she believed the administration should focus on criminals rather than undocumented immigrants with deep roots in the country, a position she reiterated Sunday.Salazar's comments come as some polling has suggested Republicans' advantage on immigration has narrowed since Trump returned to office. An August Reuters/Ipsos survey found 40 percent of registered voters said Republicans had the better approach on immigration, compared to 38 percent who chose Democrats, the smallest gap of Trump's second term.A separate Gallup survey released in July found 73 percent of Americans viewed immigration as a good thing for the country, while just 29 percent said immigration levels should be reduced. Support for reducing immigration among Republicans has also fallen from its 2024 peak, according to Gallup.Backlash From MAGA SupportersThe ad triggered backlash from some MAGA supporters and conservative commentators.On Friday, Mullin pushed back on Salazar's criticism, arguing that migrants who entered the country illegally should not be considered non-criminals simply because they have no other criminal convictions."When you broke the law and you came in this country illegally, you chose to become a criminal offense," he told CNN's Dana Bash.The DHS secretary added that immigration officers do not "pick and choose" which laws to enforce, saying that Congress established the laws and the department's job is to carry them out."A criminal is a criminal," he said.Meanwhile, conservative personalities including Tomi Lahren, Laura Loomer and others accused Salazar of undermining Trump's immigration agenda and called on the president to withdraw his endorsement.The criticism was not entirely new. Earlier this year, Salazar's Dignity Act also drew attacks from immigration hardliners, with some Republicans labeling the proposal "amnesty." Those attacks prompted a public clash between Salazar and Republican Representative Brandon Gill over the legislation.Despite that backlash, Salazar has continued to argue that immigration reform is necessary and has insisted her proposals do not constitute amnesty.Trump's ResponseFor his part, Trump responded to Salazar's ad with criticism, but stopped short of withdrawing support."She obviously doesn't have a very strong feeling for the border, but I do," Trump told reporters Friday. "She's a nice person. I got her elected. Without me, she wouldn't have gotten elected."Trump also suggested Salazar had softened her views on immigration enforcement."She got a little bit soft on the border. I understand that. I understand that, but I just don't happen to be there," he said.The president emphasized his continued commitment to strict border enforcement, arguing that immigration was central to his political success."I won because of my border," Trump said.Still, Trump did not revoke the endorsement he gave Salazar earlier this year, when he praised her "Wisdom and Courage" and offered his "Complete and Total Endorsement."What Polls Show Ahead of the MidtermsSalazar's district covers much of southern Miami-Dade County, including areas like Doral, Coral Gables, Hialeah and Kendall, which have large immigrant populations.Recent estimates put the Hispanic population of the district at 73 percent, with around 55 percent foreign-born, per a U.S. Census Bureau community survey, with significant Cuban, Venezuelan and Colombian communities.A 2026 report from left-leaning FWD.us estimated that around 216,000 people living in Salazar's district were undocumented or living with undocumented immigrants, while around 12,000 had Temporary Protected Status (TPS).South Florida has been a major focus of enforcement activity, with advocates reporting a surge in immigrant arrests over the past 19 months, including at work sites and at ICE check-ins.During the 2024 election, those who were eligible to vote in her district elected Salazar with 60.4 percent support to Democrat Lucia Baez-Geller's 39.6 percent. The district also voted for Trump by a margin of 15 percentage points.Polling on Salazar's district has been minimal so far ahead of the midterms, with a survey from Blueprint Polling on March 12 showing her with 46 percent of the potential vote to 43 percent for her Democratic opponent Eliott Rodriguez—a far narrower margin than her 2024 victory.A more recent survey from Miami-based Bendixen & Amandi International, working for Rodriguez's campaign, showed him with a 7-point lead.Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.