An immigration enforcement operation in Houston became the focus of a heated television debate after an ICE agent fatally shot an illegal immigrant who authorities say attempted to run over federal officers during a vehicle stop, as reported by PJ Media.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation Tuesday morning when Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, attempted to evade arrest.
ICE said Salgado Araujo tried to ram an agency vehicle, ignored multiple verbal commands, and then attempted to run over an agent. The agent responded by firing his weapon in what the agency described as self-defense.
The incident quickly became a topic of discussion on Tuesday’s edition of The Five, where Fox News host Jesse Watters and co-host Jessica Tarlov debated both the shooting and broader immigration policy.
Watters began by discussing images from the scene.
“All right, so the bullet holes are right through the front windshield,” Watters observed.
“So this wasn’t a side shot. The car was coming at the officer, we think, and they’ll do a review. And if he’s, you know, guilty of something negligent, then he’ll face justice. Or if the person drove at him and he was defending his life, then that’s it.”
Watters then questioned why Salgado Araujo had been in the United States.
Tarlov responded, “He’s working.”
Watters immediately rejected that argument.
“He shouldn’t be here, Jessica,” Watters replied.
Watters also noted that Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the enforcement operation.
“And so, if they say pull over, pull over,” he said.
“Now, this investigation will be over, but we have to grow up. Can we grow up? I mean, there’s going to be fatalities in law enforcement situations, especially when there’s foreign fugitives who are resisting and running away.”
The discussion then shifted from the Houston incident to immigration policy under President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.
Watters argued that the two administrations took dramatically different approaches to border enforcement.
“Biden didn’t even try. Biden and the Democrats chose to let millions of migrants in here. And then they chose not to deport them.”
He continued by criticizing what he described as Democratic immigration policy.
“You said they should be able to break into the country and stay until they break a law,” he said.
“And then they can get deported. Then we don’t have a border. That’s just an invitation for Latin America to break into the country. And we have to wait for them to commit crimes? That’s not a policy. That’s insanity.”
Watters also criticized sanctuary jurisdictions, arguing they interfere with immigration enforcement after criminal offenses occur.
“So they say they want to get the criminals out,” Watters said. “And then when we try to get the criminals out, they protect them.”
During the discussion, Watters referenced a case in Minnesota involving Gov. Tim Walz.
“Got pardoned by Tampon? I mean, what the hell? So he wouldn’t get deported?”
Watters concluded the segment by arguing that immigration policy has political consequences.
“Why, all of a sudden, we bring in all this foreign-born population, [and] Democrats are all of a sudden competitive?” he asked.
“They just imported everybody that lived outside of the country into the country, and now it’s closer. That’s why they want them here, no matter if they commit crimes or not.”
A video clip from The Five highlighting the exchange was later posted on X with the caption: “We can’t work with these people.” @JesseBWatters breaks down why Dems can’t be reckoned with when it comes to ICE reform.
The Houston shooting remains under review as authorities examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Watters acknowledged during the broadcast that investigators will determine whether the agent’s actions were justified based on the evidence collected during the review.
