Since President Trump began a widespread crackdown on immigration, few Republicans in Congress have criticized his efforts to facilitate mass deportations, including of migrants authorized to live or work in the United States.
But a small group of Republican lawmakers from South Florida has begun gently pushing back against the administration’s move to strip hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans of deportation protections under a program known as Temporary Protected Status, or T.P.S.
The objections from Representatives María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez and Mario Díaz-Balart — whose families fled Cuba after Fidel Castro gained power — were an unusual instance of dissent by congressional Republicans, who have rarely deviated from Mr. Trump’s policies, especially when it comes to his hard-line immigration agenda.
The disagreements escalated this week after the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Trump administration’s cancellation of the deportation protections. The criticism has been fairly muted and carefully worded, reflecting the line that Republicans must walk when criticizing Mr. Trump. But all three cautioned the White House against deporting people who may be fleeing an oppressive socialist government.
Ms. Salazar, whose district in the Miami area is home to roughly 30,000 Americans of Venezuelan descent, said she was “deeply disappointed” that the Supreme Court ruled to end the protections for “innocent people.” The court’s ruling came after Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, in January canceled a Biden-era provision that extended protections for the group of Venezuelans through Oct. 2, 2026.
“We should protect those fleeing tyranny — not return them to it,” Ms. Salazar said in a statement. She called on the Trump administration to shield the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from immediate deportation under a different program known as Deferred Enforced Departure.
Under Nicolás Maduro, the autocratic president who seized a third term in January, the Venezuelan government has gone through periods of intense repression followed by limited concessions to the democratic opposition, whose leaders fled to the United States earlier this month. Under Mr. Maduro, the country has experienced runaway inflation, blackouts, hunger, mass migration and the unraveling of democracy.
The three Florida Republicans have tried to both speak out on behalf of their constituents and support their president’s immigration agenda. In January, just days before Ms. Noem canceled the T.P.S. extension, they wrote a joint statement that pledged to protect Venezuelans who fled from their home country. They also argued that Mr. Trump had been a champion for the migrants by imposing tough sanctions on Mr. Maduro’s regime.
“The Venezuelan people have endured repression, corruption and human rights abuses for far too long in Venezuela, and it is still not safe for many to return,” the lawmakers wrote. “We will continue to do everything possible to ensure that those seeking freedom from persecution and oppression are protected.”
Unlike Ms. Salazar, Mr. Díaz-Balart and Mr. Gimenez did not disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling this week. But they took issue with the initial decision to cancel T.P.S. protections for Venezuelans across the board, arguing that the administration should instead vet them on a case-by-case basis.
“I don’t think that should be done as just one fell swoop,” Mr. Díaz-Balart said in an interview. “Logic would tell you that if you’re from a country like Venezuela — or Cuba, or Nicaragua, or North Korea — they have a more likely chance to have a legitimate case of asylum.”
At a committee hearing last week, Mr. Gimenez told Ms. Noem that people in his district were “a little bit concerned” about the suspension of the T.P.S. program. He asked her to meet with him, Mr. Diaz-Balart and Ms. Salazar to introduce “a little nuance” and assuage worries they had been hearing from constituents.
Earlier this month, Ms. Salazar introduced a bill with two Florida Democrats that would codify T.P.S. status for Venezuelans. In February, she introduced a measure that would create a path to lawful permanent residency for Venezuelans who have lived in the country for years and have been embedded in their communities.
Julie Turkewitz and Genevieve Glatsky contributed reporting.
Maya C. Miller covers Congress as part of the Times Newsroom Fellowship, a program for journalists early in their careers. She is based in Washington.
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