Dr. Phil participated in the first ICE raid in Chicago after Donald Trump took office.Photo:Roy Rochlin/Getty; Dr. Phil/X
Roy Rochlin/Getty; Dr. Phil/X
Dr. Philis continuing to show his support for PresidentDonald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, joining Trump’s new “border czar"Tom Homanfor the administration’s first immigration raid in Chicago.
In a video posted to X on Jan. 26, the former daytime talk show host — whose full name is Phil McGraw — is seen standing beside Homan and other immigration enforcement officers as he questions a detained immigrant who reportedly lacks permanent legal status.
In the clip, McGraw, 74, asks the detained individual about his background and immigration status. The man says he recognizes McGraw from television.
“Not really,” the man responds.
“And you’ve never been deported?” asks McGraw, to which he responds, “Nope.”
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reported more than 5,000 arrests,The New York Timesreports. The administration says that they are focused on first arresting migrants with criminal backgrounds.
Phil McGraw visits the SiriusXM Studios on Feb. 27, 2024.Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
McGraw’s recent participation in a Chicago ICE raid comes after he spread anti-immigration rhetoric and aligned himself with Trump’s campaign.
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But he became a much more vocal supporter of strict immigration enforcement following theend of theDr. Philshowon CBS in May 2023 and as his new show,Dr. Phil Primetime,began to air on his own network, Merit Street Media, in February 2024.
On Feb. 2, 2024, McGraw posted a photo posing with American border agents to hisFacebook page, captioning the image, “Spent time at the border today with the men and women protecting our country. Searching for truth and answers… more on that to come.”
He delivered a speech at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York City on Oct. 27, in the final days before the presidential election.
Donald Trump signs a slate of executive orders on his first day in office on Jan. 20, 2025.Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, Trump took action to fulfill his campaign promise of increasing deportations, signing into law the Laken Riley Act, which directs federal immigration authorities to detain and deport immigrants without legal status who are charged with a crime, per theAssociated PressandNPR.
At the ceremonial bill signing, Trump also announced his intentions to open a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — a prisonknown for its mistreatmentof people who were accused of terrorism after the 9/11 attacks — to hold “dangerous criminals” and people who are “hard to deport,” according to theAP.
“We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal aliens threatening the American people,” he said.
source: people.com
