Television host Dr Phil joins Trump border czar on immigration raid

Television host Dr. Phil participated in an operation with U.S. federal agents amidst President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Phil McGraw, the psychologist and media personality known for his long-running television show, accompanied U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on an operation in Chicago on Sunday.

McGraw posted on social media platform X that ICE was attempting to detain 270 "high-value targets." He stated that this was a targeted operation, not a large-scale sweep. "They were not going out and just sweeping neighborhoods like people are trying to imply," he said.

McGraw, who participated in a Trump campaign event last October, was alongside Trump's ICE chief and "border czar" Tim Homan during the Chicago operation. McGraw interviewed Homan and livestreamed the Chicago operation on his multi-platform television network, MERIT TV.

McGraw and Homan also questioned Sam Seda, a Thai man who openly admitted he was not a citizen. Seda told McGraw that he recognized him from television. When McGraw asked if he had ever been deported, Seda responded "no," then said he had been "in the system before." When McGraw asked if he was a citizen, he replied, "My mother is a citizen."

ICE spokesman Jeff Carter stated that the agency "initiated an enhanced targeted operation" in Chicago on Sunday, but declined to provide further details. The inclusion of a celebrity guest in the Chicago operation frustrated Illinois Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul. He told CNN that his office received no notice of the arrests, despite past cooperation with federal law enforcement. "I think it's for show, it's to disrupt communities, and it's to play to the politics of those who want to divide," Raoul said.

Chicago residents, especially in immigrant communities, have been on edge for months due to the Trump administration's promotion of large-scale arrest operations. The atmosphere has been particularly tense in the past week, as senior Trump officials had vowed to begin immigration enforcement operations in Chicago the day after Trump took office, but later walked back those statements. Over the weekend, ICE conducted a series of enforcement actions against undocumented immigrants across the U.S., arresting nearly 1,000 people. In addition to Chicago, these operations took place in Atlanta, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, and Colorado.