Miami Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar, who earlier suggested the U.S. should "kill" gang members who enter the country illegally, has softened her stance.
As part of his ongoing election campaign, former President Donald Trump has vowed a major crackdown on undocumented immigration if he retakes the White House in November. The GOP's platform calls the crossings at the southern border an "invasion" and plans to use the U.S. Navy to stop drug smugglers.
At an Axios panel during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Salazar said the U.S. should take a tough stance against immigrants who are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
"Those who just came in and belong to El Tren de Aragua, we should kill them," Salazar said. However, she quickly changed her tone to "we should pull them by the hair and kick them out," Axios reported.
Salazar's comments were in response to a question about the Dignity Act, an immigration reform bill she sponsored to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico border and provide legal status for certain undocumented immigrants.
The bipartisan bill allows undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. for five years without a criminal record to work and possibly gain legal status. The seven-year Dignity Program requires applicants to pay $5,000 in "restitution" to fund workforce training for unemployed American citizens.
Salazar's press secretary denied that the congresswoman said "kill them" completely but stopped because she misspoke. "If you go back and listen, she did not finish the word 'them' and complete the sentence, but instead immediately transitioned into the following line about kicking them out. The Congresswoman's position is that we should deport all members of the criminal Tren de Aragua gang," the official said.
Democrat Lucia Báez Geller, who is running against Salazar in Florida's 27th District, said it is "appalling" to call for violence.
Geller said the U.S. needs a "fair process that supports and protects those looking for opportunity and safety" while keeping out gangs like El Tren de Aragua. She criticized Salazar for using "this opportunity to push her violent rhetoric in line with Trump and MAGA extremism."
Salazar's remarks came just a few days after an assassination attempt on Trump.
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