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.”
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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.
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