Born in Miami’s Little Havana to Cuban parents, who emigrated to the United States, fleeing Cuba due to the arrival of Fidel Castro to power. With only five dollars in their pockets, the pursuit for freedom and the American dream was instilled in María Elvira Salazar at an early age by her parents. While being raised in Miami and Puerto Rico, Salazar listened as her parents told stories of the oppressive communist regime from which they escaped. Becoming American citizens at the Freedom Tower, Salazar’s parents wanted a better life for their family; they wanted freedom.
Maria Elvira Salazar is in Congress fighting to stop socialism from ever coming and ruining America.
That pursuit of freedom and the American Dream shaped Maria Elvira Salazar’s early life and career, and it continues to drive her today. Salazar graduated from the University of Miami and later from Harvard University which she paid for herself. She began a career in journalism covering local stories for Univision.
A rising star in the field of journalism, Salazar’s career took her all over the world. She became the anchor for CNN Español, the first time a major news network had a broadcast fully in Spanish. Salazar then covered the White House and the Gulf War. It was in her next assignment where Salazar witnessed firsthand the price for freedom.
Working again for Univision, Salazar covered the Salvadoran Civil War. She was embedded on the frontlines. She saw the crossfire from the opposing factions. She felt the fear of war. Though at times Salazar came under circumstances where her own life was in danger, she left El Salvador after the war and used the contacts made there to begin reporting in Cuba.
In Cuba, she witnessed the atrocities of the Castro communist government but could not just stand by. Through her reporting, she became a leading voice against Fidel Castro, pointing out the actions of the government and its devastating effects on the people of Cuba. Eventually, Salazar became too vocal for the likes of Castro and the Cuban government.
It was her persistence and passion to uncover the truth in defense of freedom that led to the interview of a lifetime. After years in pursuit and a direct confrontation with him in New York, Salazar was granted an interview with Fidel Castro.
Salazar would go on to be a national news anchorwoman at Telemundo and have a long run with her own top-rated show on Mega TV. Winning five Emmy Awards, she was recognized for her passion for freedom and uncovering oppressive, communist and socialist regimes in Latin America especially in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
In her career Salazar has interviewed a wide range of social and political leaders, including Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Alvaro Uribe, Jose Maria Aznar, Vicente Fox, Juan Manuel Santos, Augusto Pinochet, Nicolas Maduro and, more recently, Juan Guaidó.
Salazar was honored to be elected to Congress in November 2020 to serve Miami and fight for her community.
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