NEW: Jessica Tarlov Deletes Post Defending Criminal Illegal Alien After Intense Backlash

New details have emerged on the viral arrest of a man who attempted to flee from a group of federal agents not far from the National Mall on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a deleted X post from Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov after she initially defended the suspect.

Footage obtained by NBC Washington shows a group of federal agents and D.C. Metropolitan Police officers stopping a Hispanic man driving a blue SUV. Almost immediately after exiting the vehicle, the man attempted to flee and was subsequently tackled by one of the agents.

As he was being restrained, the man yelled, in Spanish, that he was “not a criminal” and wanted to be with his family. “Just saw DC Police + federal agents detain a man on the National Mall. He appeared to try to escape, then was quickly tackled to the ground by several agents + was screaming in Spanish ‘please, I’m not a criminal, I work here, I want to be with my family,'” NBC’s Aimee Cho reported, providing a sympathetic overview of the situation.

Details of the arrest, nor the suspect, were not immediately available. The Department of Homeland Security provided additional details in an X post a few hours later, however.

“This illegal alien from Mexico was previously arrested in January 2024 in Fairfax County for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13,” the department posted on X alongside a meme mocking Cho’s post.

“He entered and had a final order of removal and chose to voluntary return- twice. Illegally entered 3 times. Thank you to law enforcement for getting him off of Washington DC’s streets.”

Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov was among the handful of liberals who criticized the arrest without knowing any details of the case. “This doesn’t make D.C. safer,” Tarlov posted on X. “The cruelty is always the point.”

Tarlov found herself on the receiving end of intense backlash once details surrounding the arrest were released to the public. “Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov rushed to the defense of an illegal alien who was arrested for s*xual assault on a child under the age of 13. She really is the worst,” said Florida’s Voice contributor Eric Daugherty.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also weighed in on the controversy in a post of his own. “Why are you defending a criminal illegal alien invader charged with sexually assaulting a child?” Miller wrote.

“I didn’t know he was – the DHS memo on him came out hours after the video,” Tarlov responded after deleting the initial post. “Wouldn’t ever defend such a person! Hopefully you guys will only go after these types versus hardworking folks that have committed no crimes! Will delete my original tweet.”

The viral arrest was made as part of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on crime in Washington D.C.

President Trump took control of D.C. police by applying the Home Rule Act on Aug. 7, 2025. As part of his strategy, the president has deployed 1,450 police and National Guard troops, marking the first time law enforcement assets in the capital have been brought under federal control.