A New York Times journalist got heated when a conservative on CNN tried to equate people in the country illegally with criminals during a discussion on whether President Donald Trump is rightfully weighing whether to send federal troops to Chicago to combat crime.

While Trump has not yet sent troops to Chicago, the Trump administration has threatened to send National Guard troops to the city, and detailed planning has been ongoing for weeks.

Lulu Garcia-Navarro, a New York Times journalist, clashed with conservative commentator Scott Jennings on "The Arena" on Monday afternoon on Trump's threats to send his immigration crackdown to the city.

Garcia-Navarro began saying Americans are confused as to why the federal government is making such a brazen move.

"No wonder people are alarmed," she said, noting Trump has said it's about crime and immigration. "Because if it is not clear what the purpose of these kinds of operations are, people are going to assume the worst."

When Garcia-Navarro noted Trump's Washington, D.C., crime crackdown was initially about crime and morphed into immigration enforcement, Jennings shot back, "Aren't they one in the same?"

"If you're in the country illegally, you're a criminal," he said.

A fed-up Garcia-Navarro immediately smacked down the claim.

"No. That's not the same thing," she shot back.

"Why?" questioned Jennings.

Democratic strategist Adrienne Elrod noted that it's a civil offense to cross the border, rather than criminal.

"Oh my gosh," Jennings said, shaking his head. "I can't believe we're going to have this fight again. If you're going to break U.S. immigration law, why shouldn't you be deported?"

The panel began shouting over each other, with Garcia-Navarro firing back, "No, no, no, no, no!"

"You are trying to say that anyone in this country illegally is some kind of murderer or killer," she asserted, a claim Jennings flatly denied. "Crime? No. Crime is a different thing. Shootings, muggings — things the president talks about — are different than immigration enforcement. Those are two different things. They're dealt with by different groups of law enforcement. They are two different things. To conflate them is disingenuous."

Watch the clip below or at this link.