'Made-for-TV': Dr. Phil took part in ICE raids that sparked massive LA riots
President Donald Trump's ally and talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw was embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during contentious raids that sparked furious protests in Los Angeles, allowing him to use footage from the operation for his streaming show.
CNN.com said that the footage being filmed will be part of his "Dr. Phil Primetime" show, which is streamed on his conservative channel.
"McGraw’s presence on the ground in L.A. reinforces the made-for-TV nature of Trump’s immigration crackdown," wrote CNN.com.
McGraw’s team was also on hand for the ICE raids in Chicago in January. The report said that federal agents were told to be "camera-ready for a show of force."
According to the report, McGraw was present during the raids on Friday “to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations,” claimed his channel. He also spent some quality time with Tom Homan, Trump's White House Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), whom Trump prefers to call his border czar. The two taped a promotional interview, though it's unclear if McGraw continued to film during the weekend.
Over the weekend, the raids sparked protests, the first of which the Los Angeles Police Department called "peaceful" in a press release on the matter. Trump responded to the photos he saw of protesters by deploying the National Guard, which local and state officials have opposed.
Local officials blamed this move for escalating the unrest.
"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," said CNN. "They also frequently publicize ICE actions on X and other social media platforms."
“We are not stopping or slowing down. We are not intimidated or apprehensive,” FBI deputy director Dan Bongino wrote on X. He's recently faced backlash from the MAGA community for failing to deliver on promises to release information around a number of FBI conspiracy theories.
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