Show host Dr. Phil joined border czar Tom Homan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in a raid across the Chicago metropolitan area late Sunday night.
The television psychologist, whose full name is Phil McGraw, was filmed interrogating an alleged illegal Thai national alongside Homan and a posse of ICE officers during the Chicago operation. The video comes after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and ordered agencies to ramp up immigration enforcement, with ICE announcing 956 arrests on Sunday alone.
“This is an example of sanctuary cities, right?” Homan said. “We’ve got an illegal alien convicted of sex crimes involving children, and he’s walking the streets of Chicago … this is what we’re dealing with.”
“You’ve been charged with sex crimes with children?” Dr. Phil asked the alleged illegal alien.
“Not really,” the alleged illegal alien said.
“Not really?” Dr. Phil said. “And never been deported. Huh.”
“Let’s take him in and process him, lock him up,” Homan told nearby agents.
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 Thai national told Dr. Phil he recognized him from TV. He also claimed that his “mom’s a citizen” of the U.S.
Dr. Phil said in an X post Sunday that he would be embedded in the Chicago operation, which aimed to target 270 “high-value targets” around Chicago.
“It’s a pretty high-risk mission we’re going on,” he said. “This truly is a targeted ICE mission, because they’re not sweeping neighborhoods like people are trying to imply.”
Dr Phil is embedded with @RealTomHoman for ICE operation in Chicago.
For full live coverage of the operation, download the MeritTV app. pic.twitter.com/PKkZRZzqq5
— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) January 26, 2025
“These are known criminals and terrorists. We’re talking about murderers, child traffickers, child rapists. We’re talking about bad actors, both in the countries they’ve come from, and since they’ve been here in the United States,” the daytime television personality continued.
Dr. Phil — who spoke at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in October — has previously signaled conflicted feelings about the president. He seemed to walk back his endorsement of Trump in an ambiguous interview with Piers Morgan in November, saying he “doesn’t like a lot of what he says or does.”
ICE has announced over 2,000 immigration-related arrests throughout Trump’s first week in office. Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially refused to accept U.S. deportation flights into his country over the weekend, but immediately capitulated after Trump threatened steep tariffs against the country.
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