Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar broke away from several other Florida Republicans following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold birthright citizenship, stating she agrees with the justices, despite other leaders in the Republican Party slamming the ruling. Salazar, who hails from Miami, stated on June 30, 2026, that the Constitution is clear on the issue and made the case that lawmakers should spend their time and effort on fixing the country’s broken immigration system.
“The Supreme Court has spoken on birthright citizenship, and I agree with the Court’s decision,” Salazar went on to say. “The Constitution is clear, and we must always respect the rule of law.” The statement immediately put her at odds with many prominent Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and Sen. Rick Scott, all of whom slammed the ruling and called for legislative or constitutional changes.
On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that said the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause protects citizenship for almost all children who enter the world on U.S. soil, which includes the children of parents who are not in the country legally or who are temporarily in the country. Salazar then said that the ruling should not end debate on immigration, saying that the current system in the U.S. is clearly outdated, abused, and needs to be reformed.
“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 went on to say, according to a report from Trending Politics News. “Those goals are not in conflict. They go hand in hand.” She then stated that immigration policy should never be dictated by executive orders or be 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,” the Florida Republican said. “These actions are only creating uncertainty and harming our families, employers, and communities.” She then slammed Congress by saying they need to get down to business and do the work they’ve been avoiding for years.
“It’s Congress’s job to fix our broken immigration system. That’s where this debate has always belonged,” she stated. Salazar has a reputation for walking the thin political line when it comes to immigration and having strong border security, while also pushing for reforms to the legal immigration system. Her latest bevy of comments on the SCOTUS decision puts her on a different trajectory than other Florida hard-line Republicans.
The SCOTUS ruling on birthright citizenship is a clear loss for the Trump administration, which has made the case that the system has been abused by illegal immigrants, especially through the practice of birth tourism. However, Salazar says the decision is a constitutional matter, even while calling for tough action to be taken to prevent fraud and abuse.
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Salazar posted her statement on the ruling on her official X account, with a version of the text in Spanish. The English translation of that statement is included in the post, but has also been quoted throughout this article. Folks on X mostly agreed with hard-line Republicans on the matter, with one individual, Julio Feria, saying, “Miami, stop voting for this woman. She’s a fraud and a traitor to this country.”