Latest news with #DrPhil
CNN
15 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Dr. Phil was embedded with ICE during controversial Los Angeles immigration raids
Source: CNN As federal agents prepared to fan out in Los Angeles for a controversial immigration crackdown, the officers were greeted by a familiar face: Dr. Phil McGraw. The television personality and his camera crew were on hand before and after the raids that took place on Friday and triggered several days of street protests. McGraw was there 'to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations,' according to his conservative TV channel, MeritTV. McGraw also had 'exclusive' access to Trump's border czar Tom Homan, a spokesperson for the channel said. The two men sat down for taped conversations about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts both 'the day before and day after the LA operation.' The TV personality and Homan were also together at the Homeland Security Investigations field office in L.A. on the morning the raids began. McGraw's presence on the ground in L.A. reinforces the made-for-TV nature of Trump's immigration crackdown. The former daytime talk show host was embedded with ICE officials in Chicago back in January, when some federal agents were told to be camera-ready for a show of force at the very start of President Trump's second term. A MeritTV spokesperson said this time was different, however. 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded' during the L.A. raids, the channel spokesperson said. Instead, he hung out at the field office and had face time with Homan. The conversations will air on 'Dr. Phil Primetime' on Monday and Tuesday night. The Friday raids resulted in the detainment of dozens of people, sparking protests and violent reactions. On Saturday, reacting in part to the television pictures of the chaos, Trump authorized the deployment of the National Guard. Trump officials have repeatedly tried to maximize television and online attention around immigration enforcement activities this year. Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are regulars on Fox News and other Trump-aligned TV networks. They also frequently publicize ICE actions on X and other social media platforms. As protests escalated in L.A., Trump officials used X to justify Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard and warn Angelenos not to impede immigration operations. 'We are not stopping or slowing down. We are not intimidated or apprehensive,' FBI deputy director Dan Bongino wrote in one of his messages. Trump set the administration's tone through his own posts on Truth Social, at times sounding like the marketer of an action movie. 'A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals,' he claimed on Sunday, promising federal action to 'liberate' L.A. 'Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,' Trump wrote, spurring criticism from residents who said he was vastly overstating the severity of the situation. Early Monday morning, as Los Angeles police worked to disperse demonstrators, Trump appeared to be watching TV as he posted about a police press conference and reacted to videos of skirmishes in the streets. 'Looking really bad in L.A.,' Trump wrote. 'BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' This story has been updated with new information. See Full Web Article
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Talkshow host Dr Phil joined Ice agents for Los Angeles immigration raids
The television personality Dr Phil was embedded with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers as they carried out controversial raids in Los Angeles that led to days of protests in California, his TV network said. Phil, whose full name is Phil McGraw, was with Ice before and after its agents conducted a series of raids on multiple locations across LA on Friday. Immigration advocates said at least 45 people were arrested, and the action was condemned by California's governor and LA's mayor. It was the second time McGraw, a former practising psychologist who hosted a TV talkshow for two decades, has been embedded with Ice this year. In January, he joined the US border czar, Tom Homan, in a choreographed immigration raid in Chicago, in a stunt that was criticized at the time. CNN was the first to report on McGraw's presence at the Los Angeles raids. McGraw was there 'to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations', his conservative TV channel, MeritTV, told CNN. McGraw had 'exclusive' access to Homan before and after the raids, CNN reported. During the Chicago raids, McGraw was on the ground with Ice officers and even spoke to some of the people the agency had detained. His experience in LA was less immersive, MeritTV said. 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded' during Friday's raids, a MeritTV spokesperson told CNN. On Sunday, he appeared with Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, at a synagogue, as Adams signed an executive order which ordered city agencies to adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism. McGraw, who is not Jewish but has said it is his 'duty' to support Israel, has increasingly immersed himself in political issues in recent months, particularly regarding immigration. In April, he McGraw backed Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and in May he described Trump as 'a man of deep faith, a man of deep conviction'.
WIRED
a day ago
- Politics
- WIRED
The Trump Administration Is Turning ICE Raids and Protests Into Reality TV
Jun 9, 2025 2:44 PM Whether creating its own memes or working with celebrities like "Dr. Phil" McGraw, the government is treating a volatile situation in Los Angeles like content. Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff;Since the very beginning of the year, President Donald Trump's administration has worked to build a self-sustaining digital media ecosystem in support of its controversial immigration policies. That system is now working overtime as protests bubble up in Los Angeles and get planned across the country, spawning an onslaught of AI-generated slop and reality television-style content. Protests broke out on Friday shortly after ICE officers conducted a series of raids targeting Latino communities in Los Angeles. Reality star Phil 'Dr. Phil' McGraw and the camera crew for his new Merit TV network embedded with immigration officials during Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Friday's raids, CNN reported. Merit TV announced in a press release that its footage will be aired throughout a '2-Night Television Event' on Monday and Tuesday. The broadcast includes an exclusive one-on-one interview with Trump's border czar Tom Homan. (There is already an interview with Homan currently streaming on Merit TV's site.) 'Dr. Phil and Tom Homan break down the multi-agency raid targeting cartel-linked businesses in LA's garment district,' states the Merit TV email about Monday night's program. 'With $80 million in undeclared imports uncovered, $17 million in unpaid tariffs identified, and 41 undocumented immigrants detained, the high-impact operation drew fierce public protests. Homan addresses the growing backlash and explains the zero-tolerance policy for interference with federal enforcement.' It's unclear where the highly specific numbers mentioned in the press email come from, or what the source of information is for the claim that affected businesses are tied to cartels. Homan and other heads of law enforcement agencies have repeatedly threatened protesters and even California politicians with arrest. Trump also said he would arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom. MAGA's independent influencers also spent the weekend parroting the Trump administration's talking points. On Sunday, Rogan O'Handley, who goes by DC Draino online, posted what appears to be an AI-generated video on Instagram of Trump pummeling a man holding a Mexican flag on a dirt bike. As the man falls over, a triumphant Trump raises the flag which magically transforms into an American one. 'MAGA won the popular vote and this is what we want,' the caption of the post reads. It currently has more than 50,000 likes. Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and host of an eponymous podcast, posted to X in an apparent attempt to rally the right's outrage over LA into support for the Trump administration's budget plans. 'Infuriated about what you are seeing in LA? Pass the BBB [Big Beautiful Bill]. Watch this and support the bill. We must reclaim America,' Kirk posted on Monday. This didn't come out of nowhere. The Trump administration's crackdown on immigration has been broadcasted across television and the internet for months, as influencers and content creators have been invited to participate in broadcasts and ride-a-longs with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. 'That's been a pretty routine thing. Libs of TikTok was embedded, Tomi Lahren.' CJ Pearson, a conservative influencer tells WIRED of the ridealongs. 'I've been asked as well, so, I think there definitely will be more to come.' In January, agencies assisting with immigration crackdowns were told to be camera-ready, CNN reported. In February, DHS launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign featuring a clip of Kristi Noem, the secretary of DHS, warning undocumented immigrants that they would be deported if they did not choose to leave on their own. These ads were 'hyper-targeted' to 'reach illegal immigrants in the interior of the United States, as well as internally,' according to a February DHS press release. 'If you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return,' Noem says in the ad. 'But if you leave now, you may have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American Dream.' Noem has traveled to El Salvador for content as well. In March, she filmed a notorious video, where she stood in front of prisoners at El Salvador's infamous CECOT prison. 'If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences,' Noem said. In April, the far-right influencer Chaya Raichik, who runs the massive Libs of TikTok account on X, joined DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during an immigration enforcement operation in Phoenix, Arizona, posting 'exclusive footage' to her more than four million followers. Both Raichik and Noem wore bullet proof vests with ICE badges pinned to their chests. A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Dr. Phil was embedded with ICE during controversial Los Angeles immigration raids
Phil McGraw, "Dr. Phil," attends a swearing-in ceremony for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource) As federal agents prepared to fan out in Los Angeles for a controversial immigration crackdown, the officers were greeted by a familiar face: Dr. Phil McGraw. The television personality and his camera crew were on hand before and after the raids that took place on Friday and triggered several days of street protests. McGraw was there 'to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations,' according to his conservative TV channel, MeritTV. McGraw also had 'exclusive' access to Trump's border czar Tom Homan, a spokesperson for the channel said. The two men sat down for taped conversations about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts both 'the day before and day after the LA operation.' The TV personality and Homan were also together at the Homeland Security Investigations field office in L.A. on the morning the raids began. McGraw's presence on the ground in L.A. reinforces the made-for-TV nature of Trump's immigration crackdown. The former daytime talk show host was embedded with ICE officials in Chicago back in January, when some federal agents were told to be camera-ready for a show of force at the very start of President Trump's second term. A MeritTV spokesperson said this time was different, however. 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded' during the L.A. raids, the channel spokesperson said. Instead, he hung out at the field office and had face time with Homan. The conversations will air on 'Dr. Phil Primetime' on Monday and Tuesday night. The Friday raids resulted in the detainment of dozens of people, sparking protests and violent reactions. On Saturday, reacting in part to the television pictures of the chaos, Trump authorized the deployment of the National Guard. Trump officials have repeatedly tried to maximize television and online attention around immigration enforcement activities this year. Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are regulars on Fox News and other Trump-aligned TV networks. They also frequently publicize ICE actions on X and other social media platforms. As protests escalated in L.A., Trump officials used X to justify Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard and warn Angelenos not to impede immigration operations. 'We are not stopping or slowing down. We are not intimidated or apprehensive,' FBI deputy director Dan Bongino wrote in one of his messages. Trump set the administration's tone through his own posts on Truth Social, at times sounding like the marketer of an action movie. 'A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals,' he claimed on Sunday, promising federal action to 'liberate' L.A. 'Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,' Trump wrote, spurring criticism from residents who said he was vastly overstating the severity of the situation. Early Monday morning, as Los Angeles police worked to disperse demonstrators, Trump appeared to be watching TV as he posted about a police press conference and reacted to videos of skirmishes in the streets. 'Looking really bad in L.A.,' Trump wrote. 'BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!'
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Dr Phil was embedded with ICE agents during L.A. raids
Dr. Phil was embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they conducted a string of immigration raids in Los Angeles. The conservative TV personality, whose real name is Phil McGraw, was filmed alongside immigration officials Friday 'to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations' before protests erupted across the city over the weekend, according to CNN. A spokesperson told the outlet that the footage is due to be shown on Dr. Phil Primetime on McGraw's television channel, Merit TV. McGraw, 74, who was tapped last month to serve on Donald Trump 's Religious Liberty Commission, also taped an interview with the president's border czar and Acting ICE Director Tom Homan. In a segment of the sit-down that aired on Monday morning, McGraw pressed Homan about what might happen if a demonstrator impedes an ICE agent. 'You can protest and you can hate – shame on you – you can hate what ICE does and who ICE is. You can protest and throw out all the nasty words you want, but you can't cross that line,' Homan said in the clip, which was posted to X and quickly removed. 'It's getting out of control. It's getting to be a significant threat to our officers... We are going to a zero tolerance position.' The TV shrink previously joined ICE agents and Homan on raids across Chicago in January, where agents attempted to pick 270 'high-value targets' in a seemingly targeted operation. It comes as Trump officials have repeatedly turned to television to boost attention surrounding immigration enforcement activities this year. Following three immigration raids on Friday, ICE officials were met with backlash, and hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Los Angeles Federal Building demanding that they put a stop to their operation and set detainees 'free.' More than 100 protestors were arrested Friday before the Los Angeles Police Department dispersed the crowd. As more protests erupted Saturday, Homan said that immigration raids would continue and suggested that people could be detained if they interfered with immigration officials. Approximately 300 National Guard troops were dispersed over three locations in Greater Los Angeles on Sunday morning as violent clashes continued through the day. By late Sunday evening, the LAPD said that there had been reports of looting in the city, with videos circulating online. By Sunday evening, Trump renewed calls to 'BRING IN THE TROOPS.'
