3 House Republicans from Florida with Cuban roots carefully navigate Trump's immigration policies

Source: AP

Updated 7:47 AM EDT, April 26, 2025


MIAMI (AP) — A few dozen women gathered at a posh Miami brewery on a recent evening to listen to U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart outline the Republican plans to retain their slim House majority in next year’s elections. In an hour of remarks, Diaz-Balart did not bring up immigration on his own.

Diaz-Balart is one of three House Republicans in South Florida with roots in Cuba. Together, they are treading carefully in discussing President Donald Trump’s immigration offensive, which includes directly targeting some Cubans and Venezuelans, key parts of the GOP’s base in Florida.

Democrats are targeting at least one of these lawmakers, zeroing in on U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s district as a possible House seat they could flip next year. Miami Democrats set up a billboard on a heavily traveled expressway showing the three House members and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator who is also of Cuban descent, with the label “traitors.”

Diaz-Balart, Salazar and Rep. Carlos Gimenez have defended Trump despite the president’s efforts to eliminate protections that allow hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Cubans, and other migrants to live and work legally in the United States.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-diaz-balart-salazar-gimenez-florida-7c936238e61b4392c1211ac57eecd151