On Monday, television host Phil McGraw, popularly known as “Dr. Phil,” shared video of himself accompanying ICE officers as they conducted a round-up of immigrants in Chicago.
Some of this footage, filmed for McGraw’s Merit Street Media, was shared widely on social media.
The idea of media personalities making content out of immigration enforcement is certainly disturbing and speaks to a well-documented history of the demonization of immigrants in the American media. But McGraw is also hopping on a fairly recent trend of pro-Trump influencers launching propagandistic media ventures to inflame anti-immigrant fervor.
Reuters reported on this trend last year, when it covered the pro-Trump immigration influencers firing up “fears of migrant ‘invasion’ ahead of [the] U.S. election.”
Reuters’ video about the trend is here:
These clips from influencers often gain traction online and get picked up by conservative television outlets like Fox News. It may seem like the primary beneficiary in this scenario are the influencers, like McGraw, who get to capitalize on the spectacle of riding around with ICE as agents terrorize immigrants and American citizens alike, but the political benefits for the Trump administration can’t be understated.CNN reported Tuesday that immigration enforcement officials have been “told to be camera-ready” when they conduct the raids. The Trump administration’s immigration sweeps that included more than 2,000 arrests in two days and have chilled many immigrant communities were followed by another blitz: A barrage of video and photos from the federal government showing agents in tactical gear and vests emblazoned with “Police ICE” and “Homeland Security” taking cuffed suspects away. The made-for-TV look of the arrests is not a coincidence. At least two agencies assisting US immigration officials with the sweeps ordered by the fledgling Republican White House have told personnel to ensure their clothing clearly depicts their respective agency in case they are filmed by journalists, sources familiar with the operations tell CNN.
I reported in December that podcasters and influencers are likely to play a key role in boosting the Trump administration’s messaging over the next four years, largely because they’re more loyal to Trump (and lacking in fact-checking skills) than traditional news outlets, which Trump cannot trust as often to relay his propaganda. And McGraw’s ride-along is likely just a taste of what’s in store.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog. Recommended
