A Florida Republican has demanded President Donald Trump halt deportations of thousands of migrants, fearing his crackdown could damage the Republican Party.
Trump aggressively went full steam ahead on his promise to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in US history in his first week back in power, arresting more than 2,000 people in a widespread crackdown.
Representative Maria Elvira Salazar sent a desperate letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday, pleading with them to spare migrants entering the country under Biden's “humanitarian parole” program.
While Trump won the 2024 election with 43 percent of the Latino vote, there are growing concerns that his mass deportation policies could drive away new loyal Republican voters whose communities are affected.
For Salazar, who was endorsed by Trump in 2020, this is particularly relevant because more than two-thirds of voters in her congressional district are Hispanic.
A recent poll by the New York Times and Ipsos found that 87 percent of Americans oppose the deportation of immigrants who are legally in the country, and 62 percent oppose separating families.
Salazar – a Trump ally – asked the administration to protect migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) who entered the country under the CHNV parole process.
She emphasized that the Republican Party must take the higher stand in this situation and not punish the migrants because of “Joe Biden's mistakes.”
Trump ally Maria Elvira Salazar implored the administration to halt deportations of thousands of migrants.
Trump aggressively moved forward with his pledge to carry out the largest mass deportation effort in US history in his first week back in power
“I strongly urge you to ensure that all Cubans paroled under the CHNV program who are eligible or applying for the Cuban Adjustment Act are protected from deportation until their cases are fully resolved.” , Salazar said.
“In addition, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians who arrived under the CHNV program, have no criminal record and have applied for asylum through the appropriate legal channels, should also be protected until their cases are fully resolved.”
The Biden administration announced the CHNV program in January 2023, allowing nationals from those countries to temporarily stay in the US for up to two years.
According to Global Refuge, Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan nationals were eligible for the program due to “urgent humanitarian reasons and increased instability” in those countries.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), approximately 531,690 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans have arrived legally and were granted parole under parole procedures as of December.
The Trump administration is giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials the power to deport migrants who were temporarily allowed into the country under Biden-era programs, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times.
These programs include CHNV parole and the CBP One app, which allows migrants to schedule appointments to enter the country.
Salazar represents a district in Miami-Dade County, which has the highest share of immigrants of any county in the country, according to USA Facts.
Trump administration gives immigration officials power to deport migrants temporarily allowed into the country under Biden-era programs
Migrants line up to leave the United States for Mexico after being deported Thursday
The population consists of 54.3 percent immigrants; of these residents, 93 percent were born in Latin America.
“Although President Biden originally created this program on questionable legal grounds and brought individuals here without a plan for their future, they were still enrolled in programs offered to them,” Salazar said.
“Therefore, I believe that they should have the opportunity to submit their applications to correct their legal status.”
She added, “Don't punish them for Biden's mistakes!”
A DHS spokesperson defended the decision to deport migrants who entered under the Humanitarian Parole Program.
“The Biden-Harris administration has abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants into our country. “This was all stopped on the first day of the Trump administration,” the spokesperson said.
“This action will return the humanitarian parole program to its original purpose: examining migrants on a case-by-case basis.”
On Friday, ICE authorities arrested 445 illegal immigrants with criminal records, while another 148 migrants without criminal records were taken into custody, ready for deportation.
There were another 449 detainer filings — requests for local police to detain arrested individuals until ICE can pick them up — 468 removals or repatriations, and 15 gang-related arrests nationwide.
Nearly 5,000 Homeland Security and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officials have been deployed by the Trump administration to conduct raids, particularly targeting sanctuary cities where dangerous criminals previously could not be tracked by ICE under weak Biden immigration policies era.
