Television personality Dr. Phil is persistently voicing his approval for the strict immigration policies endorsed by President Donald Trump. He recently teamed up with Trump’s newly appointed ‘border czar’ Tom Homan during the administration’s inaugural immigration raid in Chicago. Captured in a video on January 26, recognized personality Phil McGraw is seen alongside Homan and other immigration authorities interrogating a detained immigrant, who allegedly does not possess permanent legal rights. Further in the video, 74-year-old McGraw is seen inquiring about the detainee’s history and immigration status, to which the latter identifies McGraw from TV.
Since the inauguration of President Trump on January 20, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have logged over 5,000 arrests. The present administration underscores that their initial focus is to apprehend immigrants with criminal records. McGraw’s appearance in the Chicago ICE raid follows his earlier dissemination of anti-immigrant sentiments and aligning with Trump’s campaign.
January of 2023 witnessed McGraw presenting his first public viewpoint on immigration issues, expressing that he felt the current enforcement of American immigration laws fell short. He further stated that the country seems unable to properly arrange its approach to immigration. However, his stance on stringent immigration control became more pronounced following the conclusion of his television talk show and with the commencement of his new show, ‘Dr. Phil Primetime’.
More explicit anti-immigration statements were aired by McGraw on February 2, 2024, where he insinuated that Chinese immigrants possibly engaged in espionage related to American agricultural methods. Later in the year, in August, McGraw hosted then-presidential nominee Trump on his talk show. He took this opportunity to inquire how Trump would evaluate Vice President Kamala Harris’s efforts, who had been assigned by President Joe Biden’s administration to study the fundamental reasons behind migration.
In recent events on Wednesday, January 29, President Trump set the wheels in motion to fulfill his campaign pledge of stepped-up deportations. He enacted the Laken Riley Act into law, a directive aimed at federal immigration authorities to detain and process for deportation those immigrants lacking legal status that are implicated in crimes. During this significant ceremonial bill signing, Trump further disclosed his plans of opening a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The mentioned detention center is infamously known for the ill-treatment of individuals suspected of terrorism in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The new purpose of this center was shared by Trump, stating it would serve as a holding pen for ‘dangerous criminals’ and individuals who prove ‘difficult to deport’.