Why Trump's message resonated with so many Hispanic voters

AMNA NAWAZ: As you just heard, president-elect Donald Trump made important and surprising inroads with some key voting groups, chief among them Hispanic voters.

Representative Maria Salazar is a Republican from Florida, and she joins us now.

Congresswoman, welcome back to the "News Hour."

Let's just begin with your reaction to president-elect Trump's win, not just that he won, but how he won, making larger inroads with Latino voters, winning a larger percentage than previous Republican candidates, also being the first Republican candidate to win your district, Miami-Dade, since 1988.

REP. MARIA SALAZAR (R-FL): Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: What part of his message do you think resonated most strongly with those voters?

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: Well, thank you for the opportunity.

I agree with you.

This is a realignment.

It's a realization by the Hispanics that the new home is the Republican Party.

We're talking about that, I'm sure, that -- we don't have the final numbers, but everything indicates that we, the Hispanic community in this -- in the United States, may put have -- put him over the top when it comes to, for instance, Pennsylvania, Allentown, Hazleton, more than 50 percent of Hispanics voted for Trump.

Michigan, 60 percent of Hispanics went for Trump.

Texas, the most Hispanic county called Starr County that has voted Democrat for the last 130 years, went 20 percent for Trump.

And where I'm sitting, as you mentioned, Miami-Dade County, that has been a blue county for the last 30 years, where District 27 is at that I represent in Congress, more than 10 points went for Trump.

It's a big story.

It's a realization that the Dems left us.

It's not that we left the Democratic Party.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, Congresswoman, what is it about the message that you think resonates most strongly with those voters?

Because it surprises many, the fact that President -- former President Trump has said insulting things about Latinos before, that he hosted a comic who made a racist joke about Puerto Ricans, that that hasn't turned away more Latino voters.

What do you make of that?

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: Well, I think that's a great question.

I think it indicates to you that we are all Americans and that when you are Hispanic and you make all those horrible sacrifices, you leave your country of origin, you leave your family, and you come to the United States, what you want to do is that you want to find the American exceptionality.

You want to stand on the fact that you have institutions that protect you, that you have the opportunity to be not Jeff Bezos, but work for him and be able to give a better future to your children.

And when you hear all those gender-affirming conversations, those are alien topics for most of my community, and that's why they went with Trump.

I understand everything you are saying, and we are surprised, but we're all the same.

We want the same thing, prosperity and happiness.

AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman, we should also note that he has proposed mass deportations of undocumented people starting on day one of his presidency.

There's an estimated 198,000 undocumented people in Miami-Dade County in your district.

What would the sudden arrest and deportation of nearly 200,000 people mean for your community?

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: And I love what you're asking me.

I wrote the Dignity Act, which is one of them only with the only comprehensive or complete immigration reform law.

So I understand exactly what you're telling me about immigration.

But the problem -- and I need to put this into context -- when you have a Biden administration that opens the southern border for four years and allows 10 million people to come in, and out of those 10 million, two are got-aways, and out of those 10 million you have this group called Tren de Aragua from Venezuela, which is a transnational criminal organization... AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman, if I may.

I know our time here is limited.

I'm asking about the potential deportation of hundreds of thousands of people in your community.

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: Well, hey, the deportation is going to be among those criminals who are the gang members, the got-aways, the Tren de Aragua.

I am sure, and I'm going to be the number one... AMNA NAWAZ: Not all 200,000 documented in your community; is that what you're saying?

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: I am sure that we're not -- that the Trump administration is not going to be targeting those people who have been here for more than five years that have American kids, that don't have criminal records, that have been working in the economy and paying taxes.

I am sure that they're going to hone in on the criminals who arrived less than four years ago, because I wrote the Dignity Act.

And I am the first one who understands that you have to give some type of dignity to those who have been here for more than five years, people who have roots in the country, not people who are coming to commit crimes.

AMNA NAWAZ: If I can just clarify from you, have you received those kinds of details from anyone in a potential Trump administration?

Because so far, what we have heard is proposal for mass deportations.

You have about 30 seconds left.

Have you gotten those assurances?

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: Mass deportation to those who are committing crimes who have been here for less than five years.

You understand that you have that millions of undocumented who are contributing with the economy and are helping our country to be a better one.

So there's going to be a distinction.

And I'm going to be one of those voices making sure within the GOP to make that distinction.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Florida Congresswoman Maria Salazar joining us tonight.

Congresswoman, thank you for your time.

REP. MARIA SALAZAR: To you.