Dr. Phil Got Inside Look at Raids in LA

The immigration raids on Friday that have set off three straight days of protests and counting in Los Angeles had a familiar face involved: that of Dr. Phil McGraw. CNN reports that the TV personality, who now hosts a conservative show on Merit TV, was present at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Los Angeles before and after the raids "to get a first-hand look at the targeted operations," according to his new network. McGraw and his camera crew also got exclusive access to border czar Tom Homan for interviews.

McGraw is incorporating the footage into an upcoming special for his show. As the New Republic notes, the longtime ally of President Trump "has proven to be an outspoken advocate for the president's immigration agenda." Back in January, he was embedded with federal agents who staged raids in Chicago, but this time was different, writes CNN's Brian Stelter. "In order to not escalate any situation," McGraw did not join and was not embedded" with the actual Los Angeles raids, says his Merit network. (One analysis suggests that the crackdown on protesters is exactly the kind of confrontation Trump has been looking for, because it plays into a big reason he got elected.)