Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar broke with several Florida Republicans after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, saying she agrees with the justices even as other GOP leaders slammed the decision.
The Miami Republican said Tuesday that the Constitution is clear and argued lawmakers should focus on fixing the country’s broken immigration system instead of trying to rewrite birthright citizenship through executive action or courtroom fights.
“The Supreme Court has spoken on birthright citizenship, and I agree with the Court’s decision,” Salazar said. “The Constitution is clear, and we must always respect the rule of law.”
Her statement put her at odds with prominent Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier and Sen. Rick Scott, who criticized the ruling and called for legislative or constitutional changes.
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause protects citizenship for nearly all children born on U.S. soil, including children of parents who are unlawfully or temporarily in the country.
The ruling rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to limit birthright citizenship through executive action.
Salazar said the decision should not end the immigration debate, arguing that America’s current system is outdated, abused and badly in need of reform.
“We can protect the Constitution while stopping abuses like birth tourism, addressing fraud, and fixing the legal immigration system that has failed America for far too long,” she said. “Those goals are not in conflict. They go hand in hand.”
My statement on the Supreme Court’s decision on birthright citizenship. pic.twitter.com/vJeYruUs9o
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) June 30, 2026
The congresswoman also warned that immigration policy should not be dictated by executive orders or left to courts to settle after the fact.
“The Court interpreted the Constitution, but immigration policy should not be done through executive order or court decisions,” Salazar said. “These actions are only creating uncertainty and harming our families, employers, and communities.”
Instead, Salazar said Congress needs to do the work it has dodged for years.
“It’s Congress’s job to fix our broken immigration system. That’s where this debate has always belonged,” she said.
Salazar has long tried to walk a political tightrope on immigration, backing stronger border security while also pushing reforms to the legal immigration system.
Her latest statement again puts her in a different lane from many hard-line Republicans, especially in Trump’s home state of Florida.
The ruling was a clear loss for Donald Trump, who has argued that birthright citizenship has been abused by illegal immigration and birth tourism.
But Salazar framed the decision as a constitutional matter, even while calling for tougher action on fraud and abuse.
That may play well in Miami, where Salazar has built her brand around a more immigration-friendly Republican message.
But inside Trump’s GOP, praising a ruling that blocked one of his signature immigration moves is not exactly a safe place to stand.
