!['[ICE agents] are focusing on the worst first. That is the way they describe it and I was able to see how much investigative work they put in to these targets.'](https://uslive-mediap.uslive.com/2025/01/94607629-14334585-Dr_Phil_said_Selena_Gomez_was_unknowingly_crying_about_worst_of_-a-1_1738096857891.avif "'[ICE agents] are focusing on the worst first. That is the way they describe it and I was able to see how much investigative work they put in to these targets.'")
Dr. Phil McGraw has weighed in on Selena Gomez’s emotional video condemning President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, arguing that the Only Murders in the Building star may not understand who federal agents are actually arresting.
After embedding with ICE agents in Chicago, Dr. Phil described the operation as a highly professional and targeted effort aimed at deporting individuals convicted of violent crimes, including murder and child sex offenses.
“I don’t think she was crying for these individuals,” Dr. Phil told the Daily Mail, emphasizing that ICE’s priority is removing dangerous criminals, not conducting mass sweeps of communities.
Witnessing the operation firsthand
The renowned talk show host rode along with ICE agents as they conducted pre-dawn raids, witnessing their approach to enforcement. According to Dr. Phil, the agents meticulously identified their targets in advance, ensuring they focused only on individuals with serious criminal records.
“They were reading off the charges and convictions in the command center—murder, child sex crimes, child rape, aggravated assault,” he recounted. “These are people who are a clear danger to the community.”
Among those apprehended was an illegal immigrant from Thailand convicted of child sex offenses. “It was very clear that this individual is a danger,” Dr. Phil said. “I don’t think anyone would argue that it’s a better community with him in it.”
Sanctuary city policies under fire
Dr. Phil also took aim at sanctuary cities, arguing that their refusal to cooperate with ICE forces federal agents to conduct operations in the field rather than making arrests at jails.
“If local law enforcement gave ICE a heads-up when these criminals are in custody, agents could detain them in a controlled environment instead of having to go out into communities,” he explained.
He also pushed back on the notion that ICE is indiscriminately arresting immigrants. “They’re not sweeping neighborhoods or going into schools. That’s just fear-mongering,” he said, referencing Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s claims that ICE was targeting schoolchildren.
A reality check for Gomez
Dr. Phil expressed sympathy for Gomez’s compassion but questioned whether she fully understood the situation. “She seemed very sincere in her empathy,” he said, “but I would suspect she’s not shedding tears for the people ICE is actually arresting.”
He believes many critics of the raids misunderstand the reality of illegal immigrant crime. “These sanctuary city leaders need to ask themselves—do they really want these people back on the streets?”
With Trump’s immigration enforcement ramping up, the debate over ICE’s actions is intensifying. But as Dr. Phil put it, “If you saw what I saw, you wouldn’t be crying.”
