Dr. Phil McGraw, more commonly known as TV personality Dr. Phil, joined federal agents during a controversial immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, American media reported on Monday.
Dr. Phil and his film crew were on site before and after the raids on Friday, which were followed by days of street protests and riots.
Dr. Phil had joined the agents “to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations,” according to his conservative TV channel, MeritTV.
“In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded” with the agents, a spokesperson for the channel told CNN.
The TV personality was also granted access to Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, MeritTV reported. Dr. Phil reportedly interviewed the Trump official before and after the operations.
Immigration raids in Los Angeles
The standoff in Los Angeles has become the most intense flashpoint yet in the Trump administration's efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally - and then crack down on opponents who take to the streets in protest.
Trump, who centered much of his campaign last year on his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision.
"Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness," he told troops at the army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, adding that his administration would "liberate Los Angeles."
Demonstrators have waved the flags of Mexico and other countries in solidarity with migrants rounded up in a series of intensifying raids.
Homeland Security said on Monday that ICE had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the daily average of 311 in fiscal year 2024 under former president Joe Biden.
An immigration raid on Tuesday at a meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska, was the "largest worksite enforcement operation" in the state during the Trump presidency, the Homeland Security Department said. US Congressman Don Bacon told local media that 75-80 people were detained.
The company, Glenn Valley Foods, said it was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status.