Florida Republican Salazar Advances in Primary Despite Diverging From Trump on Immigration Policy

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar secured victory in Tuesday’s primary election for Florida’s 27th Congressional District, defeating Miami attorney Michael Arias. The incumbent Republican, who has held the seat for more than five years after flipping the district red in 2020 by defeating Democratic incumbent Donna Shalala, retained strong backing from former President Donald Trump despite disagreements on immigration enforcement.

Arias, a former state prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney, positioned himself as a political outsider prioritizing fiscal responsibility and government accountability. His campaign centered on reducing the federal deficit and inflation while addressing South Florida’s affordability crisis, particularly regarding housing and property insurance costs, and bolstering public safety funding.

Salazar chairs the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and has emerged as a key Trump ally on Latin America policy, including efforts to curtail Venezuelan oil revenue and support the administration’s stance toward Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. However, her immigration approach diverges from Trump’s hardline deportation agenda, favoring instead a combination of robust border enforcement and pathways to legal status for undocumented immigrants already residing in the United States.

The district encompasses Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and contains approximately 428,000 foreign-born residents—roughly 54 percent of the population—according to 2024 U.S. Census data. Arias similarly backed border enforcement and deportations but advocated for more “humane” implementation focused on violent criminals, a position closer to Salazar’s moderate stance than Trump’s mass deportation platform.