Miami's Hispanic Republicans push back on Trump's mass-deportation agenda

Miami Herald

2 days ago

In letters, public statements and social media posts, Republican lawmakers from Miami are pushing back on President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts.
And even some of his most loyal Cuban-American backers are joining the chorus.
At a bilingual press conference outside of the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez said he does not agree with Trump's one-size-fits-all approach to immigration He said cases should be handled on a case by case basis because every immigrant's situation is different.
'We are working hard to express our opinion and let the President and the administration know that there is a better way, a more just way, for the people here in Miami-Dade County. Because they are our neighbors, and productive members of society,' he told reporters.
His remarks come as several Cuban-American officials from Miami, at both the state and federal level, have expressed disapproval and fear regarding the Trump administration's immigration enforcement and policies that heavily target Cubans, Venezuelans, and Haitians — all communities with significant populations in South Florida.
READ MORE: 'Inhumane:' Latinas for Trump founder condemns White House immigration crackdown
Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia, one of Trump's staunchest backers in Tallahassee, blasted Trump's mass deportation policies as 'unacceptable' and 'inhumane.'
'This is not what we voted for,' she wrote in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, also a Republican, has said she is 'heartbroken' amid the uncertainty in her district and warned that recent actions threaten due process. And GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart recently sent a letter to Homeland Security noting he was 'increasingly concerned' with the 'growing cases' of the detentions and possible deportations of people fleeing oppressive regimes.
READ MORE: Miami congressman urges Noem not to deport Venezuelan torture victim
Gimenez confirmed on Tuesday that he had met recently with Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
'We told her why we are having issues with what they are doing with Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians living in Miami-Dade County. That's why you've seen some degree of difference in President Trump's tone,' said Gimenez.
Many of the Latino communities in South Florida that helped flip Miami-Dade red, like Cubans and Venezuelans, have been hardest hit by Trump's immigration policies.
Under the Trump administration, a countrywide operation to arrest people leaving immigration court has shocked some of Miami's conservative officials.
The White House has also moved to end deportation protections and work permits for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans under Temporary Protected Status, rolled back an 18-month extension for Haiti's TPS, and enacted stringent travel restrictions towards Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. It has also stripped protections from over half-a-million Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Haitians who legally came to the U.S. through the Biden-era parole program.
'Let's deport criminals, gang members, and people with deportation orders. This is a country of law. But there are also many people who entered because they were almost invited by President Biden... I won't say they have a right — but they have good arguments to stay here in the United States. Because if not they have to return to countries that will oppress them like Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti,' said Gimenez.
Amid the City of Miami formalizing a partnership with ICE that will allow its cops to wield limited immigration enforcement powers, Gimenez said that he thought police departments should support ICE when the federal agency needs back up but that it's not their role to enforce immigration laws. Both the Florida and federal governments have pushed for these partnerships.
'I don't think that's their job. That's ICE's job,' said Gimenez.