A man being taken into custody during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Chicago found himself suddenly face to face with Dr. Phil McGraw.
The TV shrink recently joined ICE deportation raids in the windy city, which he then featured on Merit TV.
As the man was being detained, he recognized McGraw, but wasn’t exactly starstruck.
“You’ve never been deported before?” the TV personality repeatedly asked him.
“You’re Dr. Phil?!” The man eventually responded. “You look like Dr. Phil.”
“Yeah?!” McGraw replied. “How do you know me?”
“I seen you on ‘Dr. Phil,’” the man replied.
When McGraw asked the man where he was from, he replied, “Where I was born, or where I’m from?” and eventually said he was born in Thailand but had a U.S. citizen mother.
Although McGraw tried to get the man to talk, he said, “I’m not gonna stand here. I want to talk to my lawyer.”
In a post on X, McGraw described the man as a “convicted sex offender and internet predator.”
The man disputed that characterization when McGraw asked about it and added that he had never been deported.
Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan eventually stepped in and directed ICE agents to process the man.
You can see the complete exchange below, courtesy of Dr. Phil.
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ICE announced Sunday it would target Chicago with “enhanced operations,” partnering with other federal law enforcement agencies. The operation aimed to arrest unauthorized immigrants convicted or accused of crimes, but Homan has long said that any unauthorized immigrants encountered during operations would be subject to arrest, and Trump did away with guidelines prioritizing the removal of serious criminals shortly after taking office last week.