Union pushes Cuban and Venezuelan voters against Salazar in Miami

UNITE HERE Local 355 gathered Cuban and Venezuelan residents in Little Havana on Thursday to challenge U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. The hospitality union held the event days before the midterm election, framing the contest as a direct test of Salazar’s loyalty to working-class immigrants in Florida’s 27th District.

Salazar faces Eliott Rodriguez, a former CBS Miami anchor and Democrat, in a race that has drawn national attention. The district covers Miami, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, and Cutler Bay. Nearly three-quarters of residents identify as Latino. The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan analytics firm, lists Salazar as the favorite but rates the race as competitive. It had previously considered the seat a safe Republican hold.

Speakers at the rally focused on Salazar’s legislative votes. They cited her support for federal spending measures, cuts to social safety net programs, and increased immigration enforcement. Organizers connected these votes to the rising cost of living in Miami, one of the least affordable metropolitan areas in the country.

Martha Cabrera, a district resident for 17 years, said she switched her registration from Republican to Non-Party Affiliated after feeling let down by Salazar. “I feel betrayed and disappointed by Maria Elvira Salazar,” Cabrera said. She accused the congresswoman of supporting $75 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport immigrants and cut benefits for the elderly.

Rally organizers highlighted Salazar’s alignment with President Donald Trump’s agenda. They pointed to her votes for historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Seventeen percent of households in the district use the program. The group also cited her vote to appropriate $75 billion for ICE. Last year, Salazar voted with the Republican-led Congress to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That legislation extended tax cuts and increased ICE funding tenfold, making it the most funded federal law enforcement agency in the nation.

Ana Sofia Pelaez, Executive Director of Miami Freedom Project, criticized Salazar for claiming to be an advocate for immigrants. “No amount of performative lip service can erase her votes in Congress,” Pelaez said. She noted that the voting record enabled immigration policies Salazar only disavowed when her election was at stake.

Maikol Rodriguez, a Venezuelan worker and union member, spoke about the fear many immigrants face. “It’s not fair that in a free country, there are so many people living in fear,” Rodriguez said. He described leaving a dictatorship to defend what he considers just.

UNITE HERE Local 355 leaders stated they have knocked on more than 40,000 doors to target Cuban and Venezuelan households. Their campaign message is “Adios, Salazar!” Salazar recently aired a campaign ad blasting Trump’s immigration policies. In the video, recorded in front of the White House, she stated that 50% of the 50,000 people detained in July had no criminal record. She told voters that Hispanics who helped elect Trump feel betrayed today.

The race concludes on Nov. 3. Salazar remains the favorite according to national analysts, but the union’s targeted door-knocking campaign aims to mobilize key voting blocks in the district.