Key facts
- Republican nominee Rosie Pino criticized the administration's immigration orders and ICE training.
- Rep. María Elvira Salazar expressed that some of President Trump's immigration enforcement efforts have "gone too far."
- Hispanic Republicans in the House worry Trump's deportation campaign could backfire with Latino voters.
Donald Trump's past success in a heavily Hispanic district in New Jersey has diminished, with Republican candidates now criticizing his immigration policies. Rosie Pino, the Republican nominee for New Jersey's 9th Congressional District, stated that the administration's immigration orders and lack of training within ICE are "not OK." Republicans had hoped to unseat Rep. Nellie Pou in the district, which voted for Trump after decades of Democratic support. In Florida's 27th District, Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar, who had previously embraced Trump, is now publicly breaking with him on immigration enforcement, warning that Latino voters feel betrayed. This shift has led forecasters to re-evaluate the district's competitiveness. Hispanic Republicans in the House are also expressing concerns that Trump's mass deportation campaign could erode support among Latino voters.