At a Miami brewery, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart spoke to Republican women about keeping the GOP’s slim House majority — but avoided mentioning immigration. Diaz-Balart, along with Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez, all Cuban Americans from South Florida, are carefully navigating the political minefield of immigration as Donald Trump pushes stricter policies that could alienate their immigrant-heavy base.
Democrats have zeroed in on Salazar’s district as a possible pickup, branding her and her colleagues “traitors” on a Miami expressway billboard. Despite defending Trump, the three Republicans have publicly shown support for Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants, many of whom risk losing protections under Trump’s plans.
Salazar has been the most outspoken, advocating for dignity for longtime undocumented workers and crediting Trump for protecting Venezuelans, even when a judge was responsible. In a Spanish-language video, she insisted Republicans are fighting for immigrants overlooked by Biden.
Diaz-Balart has mostly defended Trump’s policies, blaming Biden for surging illegal immigration but calling for a system to fairly process asylum seekers already in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Gimenez, a former Miami-Dade mayor, took a hardline stance, pushing to cut off remittances and travel to Cuba to pressure its government, while supporting a case-by-case approach for political asylum seekers.
The balancing act reflects Republicans’ challenge: maintain loyalty to Trump’s base while not alienating key Latino voters who shifted right in 2020 — but whose support could quickly erode if immigration crackdowns hit home.
