Liberal pundits and politicians expressed outrage after Dr. Phil McGraw participated in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that some labeled as theatrical and insensitive.
Critics accused the segment of trivializing serious law enforcement actions by turning them into “reality TV.”
Dr. Phil, alongside border security boss Tom Homan, joined ICE agents in Chicago on Sunday to film the detainment of undocumented immigrants for his Merit TV show.
The footage also included an interview with a man convicted of sex offenses and online predation in Thailand.
JUST IN: The first arrest in Chicago with @RealTomHoman was a convicted sex offender and internet predator from Thailand.
For full live coverage of the operation, download the MeritTV app. pic.twitter.com/KEcphUWDDJ
— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) January 27, 2025
The man, according to Homan, was undocumented and had a record of child-related sex crimes.
When McGraw asked him if he had committed the offenses, the suspect vaguely responded, “not really.”
A video shared on McGraw’s X account revealed him questioning a handcuffed individual on the street next to Homan.
At one point, the man asked McGraw, “Are you Dr. Phil?” The TV host, visibly intrigued, replied, “How do you know me?” The suspect casually responded, “I’ve seen you on ‘Dr. Phil.'”
Following the broadcast, fierce criticism rolled in from liberal television commentators and their guests.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul called the event a “ridiculous” stunt and questioned the involvement of someone with no law enforcement expertise.
Appearing on CNN, Raoul stated, “It’s making a mockery of what is supposed to be a focused…if it’s law enforcement, if it’s focusing on criminals, you don’t invite folks like that who have no law enforcement background to be embedded within.
1.27.25 1012 am ET – Washington, D.C. – CNN Newsroom Anchor, Jim Acosta @acosta w/
Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul @KwameRaoul
* Is Chicago ground zero for immigrant roundups ?
* Why is Dr. Phil granted access to ICE roundups and not the media ? pic.twitter.com/wmMwVYVPhV
— Jeff Storobinsky (@jeffstorobinsky) January 27, 2025
“I think it’s inappropriate. I think it’s done for the show, and I think it’s done to upset the community and to score political points with those who want to divide,” he added.
Journalist Jim Acosta also raised concerns during the discussion, noting, “And it sounds like he’s getting access, whereas we’re not seeing the rest of the media getting access. What does that tell you? Isn‘t that a little strange?”
Raoul agreed, calling the situation unfair and at odds with First Amendment principles.
CNN commentator David Axelrod also weighed in, posting on X, “What does it tell you that the delegation that arrived in Chicago yesterday to commence the deportation operation included Dr. Phil?!?”
What does it tell you that the delegation that arrived in Chicago yesterday to commence the deportation operation included Dr. Phil?!?
Was he there to minister to the ICE agents? The arrested immigrants?
Or was he there to turn this into Must See TV? pic.twitter.com/SxJTlPor6i— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 27, 2025
“Was he there to minister to the ICE agents? The arrested immigrants? Or was he there to turn this into Must See TV?” he added.
Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, speaking on “CNN News Central,” condemned the operation, accusing it of creating chaos and fear among vulnerable communities.
“This week has felt like an eternity given the weight of the federal government coming not to help Chicagoans feel safer but to create panic and chaos…We’re seeing a Secret Service coming to target the schools,” he said.
Referring to the collaboration between Dr. Phil and the ICE raid, he added, “The panic that is bringing the immigration czar, so-called, with Dr. Phil, even, creating this as some sort of reality show, playing with the real fear of students, children, families who are terrified by the misinformation, by the threats of mass deportation.”
Dr. Phil provided clarification during his broadcast that the operation strictly targeted high-priority individuals and did not involve arbitrary raids in residential or school zones.
“This truly is a targeted ICE mission because they’re not sweeping neighborhoods like people are trying to imply,” McGraw said.
He further explained, “They’ve identified 270 high-value targets, and what I mean by that is that these are known criminals and terrorists.”
Meanwhile, reactions on “The View” quickly turned to controversy, with co-host Joy Behar questioning the rationale for McGraw’s presence on the raid. “Why was Dr. Phil even there?” she asked.
“Cause it’s now a reality show,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg interjected mockingly. “I’m hoping that we can put music behind this because it’s only going to be a matter of weeks before we start to see folks showing up.”
Another co-host, Sara Haines, criticized the lack of transparency in who ICE chooses to detain, saying, “They’re not saying — if they broke down every person deported and said, ‘We’ve got 16 murderers, 15 rapists, 13 repeat offenders,’ everyone in this country, including Selena Gomez, would say, ‘Bravo.’ But that’s not what’s happening.”
Behar snarkily added, “And the price of eggs is up. Just saying.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin reminded the panel that reforms to streamline legal immigration are long overdue, but noted that enforcement must remain humane.
Interrupting Griffin’s measured tone, Behar responded, “That’s not possible because cruelty is the point with him…like, ‘Let’s show this happening.’”
On Capitol Hill, Senator Dick Durbin reprimanded McGraw while delivering remarks on the Senate floor.
“I was disappointed to see the White House border czar Tom Homan come to Chicago recently with ICE agents arresting immigrants, asking them questions after they’ve been requested, even after they’d requested to speak to an attorney. Dr. Phil, a TV doctor, is not an MD, but for some reason, he was invited to go along with this raid,” Durbin asserted.
Durbin went further to question the appropriateness of the entertainer’s involvement.
“If this mass deportation is truly focused on dangerous individuals — murderers, rapists, drug dealers and [the] mentally ill — Dr. Phil has as much business being on these raids as he does performing surgery. Why is he there?” the senator remarked.
“He could complicate the situation. We are talking about a legal process and the possibility of criminal prosecution following,” Durban continued.
“And to have this television character come along for the ride is dangerous and makes no sense,” he added.
Dr. Phil shared details about the significant investigative preparations conducted by ICE agents to identify their targets, which included individuals involved in “murder, child sex crimes, child rape [and] aggravated assault,” according to him.
Describing the enforcement approach, McGraw stated, “[ICE agents] are focusing on the worst first. That is the way they describe it, and I was able to see how much investigative work they put in to these targets.”
He further dismissed some of the criticisms surrounding ICE operations as “fear-mongering” by the media.
McGraw argued, “All of this in the [mainstream] media is just fear-mongering.”
He also rejected accusations that agents were carrying out random detentions or workplace raids. “That is not what they’re doing,” he said.
“They’re not targeting farms or agricultural environments. They’re not going into businesses and checking people’s immigration status.”
McGraw claimed he posed tough questions to the federal agency regarding their operational strategies, saying, “I asked all the hard questions.”
“I asked straight up, ‘Are you sweeping neighborhoods where you believe there are concentrations of Illegal aliens?’ and they said, ‘absolutely not,'” he concluded.