In a fiery confrontation on The Five, Fox News’ Jesse Watters and Jessica Tarlov clashed over the controversial deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man whose removal from the U.S. sparked intense national debate. The April 30 episode of The Five quickly went viral, with millions of reactions flooding social media platforms like X. The clash highlighted a stark ideological divide between Watters, a staunch conservative, and Tarlov, the show’s resident liberal voice, and it further ignited the already polarized conversation about immigration policy, gang affiliations, and due process.

The Backstory: Who Is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national, entered the U.S. illegally around 2011 and settled in Maryland. In 2019, he was arrested outside a Home Depot while seeking work and detained by federal immigration authorities. The Trump administration alleged that Abrego Garcia was affiliated with the notorious MS-13 gang, citing his clothing—specifically a sweatshirt with Chicago Bulls imagery and money-themed graphics—as evidence. According to the administration, an informant also linked him to MS-13 activity in New York. However, Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, vehemently denied these claims, arguing that the evidence was flimsy and that his client had never lived in New York.

In 2022, bodycam footage obtained by Fox News revealed Abrego Garcia’s arrest in connection with a human trafficking investigation, further fueling suspicions of his criminal ties. Despite these claims, the decision to deport him to El Salvador last month, in violation of a court order, has sparked outrage among Democrats. The decision violated a ruling by Judge Paula Xinis, who explicitly prohibited Abrego Garcia’s deportation. The Supreme Court later partially upheld Xinis’ ruling, ordering the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release, though the Justice Department took a passive stance, stating that the administration is only obligated to allow his return if he presents himself at a U.S. port of entry.

Adding another layer of complexity, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, after meeting with President Trump at the White House, declared he would not return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. due to national security concerns. Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who met with Abrego Garcia in San Salvador in April, has since pushed for his return, arguing that a majority of the public—by a two-to-one margin—supports bringing him back to the U.S.

The Clash on The Five: Watters vs. Tarlov

The April 30 episode of The Five turned into a high-stakes debate, as Jesse Watters and Jessica Tarlov traded barbs over Abrego Garcia’s case. The segment, aptly headlined “Rage Bait” by Fox News producers, began with Tarlov referencing Senator Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador and the subsequent shift in public opinion. “By a two-to-one margin, people think that Abrego Garcia should be returned to the United States,” Tarlov said, citing polling data. She argued that the Trump administration’s narrative—that Abrego Garcia’s tattoos, including a marijuana leaf, a cross, and a smiley face, were definitive proof of MS-13 affiliation—was exaggerated.

Tarlov pointed out that experts had not conclusively linked those symbols to gang activity and criticized the administration for denying due process to deported migrants, including mothers who had been separated from their American-born children. “The system is broken,” she said, calling out the human cost of aggressive immigration policies.

Watters, however, was unrelenting. “I don’t believe a word you say anymore—you’re wrong about everything,” he snapped, accusing Tarlov of ignoring the evidence of Abrego Garcia’s gang ties. He pointed to the 2022 bodycam footage, showing Abrego Garcia with another individual in a car, as proof of his criminal involvement. “How is it that MS-13 ranking gang members are allowing a non-gang member to hang out with them?” Watters rhetorically asked. He likened the situation to a federal raid on a mob gambling den, where one individual might claim innocence. “That’s like when the feds raid a Gambino gambling den… and some guy says, ‘I’m not in the mob,’” Watters argued.

Co-host Jeanine Pirro, a former prosecutor, backed Watters, asserting her firsthand knowledge of MS-13 symbols. “I prosecuted those cases,” Pirro interjected when Tarlov questioned the gang affiliation claims. “Those tattoos mean something.” Tarlov, visibly flustered but holding her ground, pivoted to the emotional toll of deportations, highlighting the case of a migrant mother who had only “two minutes on the phone to talk to her husband to figure out what would happen to her American child” before being deported. “You should be able to talk to your lawyer before you are deported, especially with your American citizen child,” she argued.

Watters dismissed her point as emotional manipulation, laying out the legal framework for such cases. “When you pick up an illegal immigrant and they happen to have their kid with them, they get a choice: Do you want to be deported with your child, or assign a family member or guardian in the U.S.?” he explained. “If you don’t like the law, then go to Congress. Change the law. Otherwise, you just get women here breaking through the border, having babies, and they all get to stay because you feel bad.”

Social Media Erupts: The Five Goes Viral

The explosive exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the clip shared by user @RochelleAz on May 1 garnering millions of views. The post, captioned “Jesse Watters SHUTS DOWN smug Jessica Tarlov,” included Watters’ scathing remarks: “I don’t believe a word you say anymore—you’re wrong about everything. Use your brain, Jessica!” The hashtag #RageBait trended for hours, as conservatives rallied behind Watters, accusing Tarlov of being a “Democratic parrot” who ignored the mounting evidence of Abrego Garcia’s criminal ties.

Liberals, however, pushed back, accusing Watters and Fox News of fearmongering by exaggerating Abrego Garcia’s gang connections. “The tattoos in question—a marijuana leaf and a smiley face—are hardly conclusive evidence of MS-13 membership,” one user replied, pointing to the lack of concrete proof in the government’s case. Others criticized the Trump administration for defying court orders, with one user writing, “This is what happens when you let a former president weaponize immigration policy to score political points.”

Fox News’ Strategy: Rage Bait and Ratings Gold

Fox News has long been known for its ability to turn polarizing issues into ratings gold, and The Five—the most-watched show in cable news—has been a key part of that strategy. According to Nielsen data from 2024, the show averages 3.5 million viewers daily, consistently outperforming competitors like The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC and CNN’s primetime lineup. Fox News’ focus on contentious issues like immigration, often framed through a conservative lens, resonates with its largely Republican-leaning audience, which has propelled the network’s dominance in cable news.

Jesse Watters, a rising star at Fox News, has leaned into this strategy, using provocative rhetoric to challenge liberal narratives. His takedown of Tarlov on The Five was celebrated by conservative viewers, with one user posting, “Jesse Watters COMPLETELY OBLITERATED the Democrats’ ridiculous ‘Maryland Man’ narrative.” Meanwhile, Tarlov, a die-hard Democrat with a background in political strategy, has carved out a niche as the network’s resident dissenter, often facing an uphill battle against her co-hosts. In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, Tarlov described her role as representing the majority of American voters while showing that ideological foes can coexist—a goal that, on this episode, seemed far from reality.

The Bigger Picture: Immigration Policy Under Scrutiny

The Abrego Garcia case has broader implications for the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which have drawn both praise and condemnation. The use of the Alien Enemies Act to justify mass deportations, including Abrego Garcia’s, has been a cornerstone of Trump’s border security agenda. However, critics argue it undermines due process and disproportionately targets vulnerable populations. The Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of facilitating Abrego Garcia’s release highlights the legal tensions at play, while Bukele’s refusal to comply with U.S. demands underscores the geopolitical complexities of immigration enforcement.

For now, Abrego Garcia remains in a Salvadoran prison, his fate uncertain. Back in the U.S., the debate rages on, fueled by media outlets like Fox News that thrive on controversy. As Watters and Tarlov’s clash demonstrates, the intersection of immigration, crime, and media narratives is a powder keg—and in an election year, it’s one that shows no signs of cooling down.