*

'Dr. Phil' embeds with ICE in Chicago

*

Trump administration deputizes DOJ agencies for

immigration

enforcement

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ICE makes arrests in Arizona, Puerto Rico

(Adds more arrests in paragraph 11; quotes from two Democratic

US senators in paragraphs 12, 13; total number of arrests on

Sunday in paragraph 14)

By Sarah N. Lynch and Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The TV host known as "Dr.

Phil" embedded with U.S. immigration enforcement officers during

an operation in Chicago on Sunday, defending President Donald

Trump's deportation effort as the crackdown neared the end of

its first week.

Phil McGraw, known as "Dr. Phil" for the eponymous American

television series focused on mental health, followed U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other

federal agents during the action, according to his X account and

two sources familiar with the matter.

McGraw, who spoke at a Trump campaign event in October, said

in a post on X on Sunday that ICE aimed to pick 270 "high-value

targets", indicating it was a targeted operation, and defended

the approach.

"They're not sweeping neighborhoods like people are trying

to imply," he said.

Trump, a Republican, took steps to launch a wide-ranging

immigration crackdown after taking office on Jan. 20, sending

U.S. troops to the border and empowering immigration agents to

pick up more non-criminals. The Trump administration last week

deputized law enforcement agents with several Justice Department

agencies to conduct immigration enforcement to supplement ICE

efforts.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and

Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and

U.S. Marshals Service were granted the authority, the Trump

administration said last week.

In addition to Dr. Phil, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil

Bove publicized his trip to watch DOJ agents support immigration

enforcement.

"This morning, I had the privilege of observing brave men

and women of the department deploying in lockstep with DHS to

address a national emergency arising from four years of failed

immigration policy," Bove said in a statement, adding that the

deputized agencies, the FBI, and federal prosecutors would all

be working on the effort.

Senior Justice Department officials are not typically

present to observe law enforcement operations in real-time,

current and former department officials say.

A Justice Department official said that the first arrest in

Chicago that Bove observed involved an immigrant living

illegally in the U.S. who had "killed a 19-year-old woman while

driving under the influence."

ICE said it partnered with the DOJ for "enhanced targeted

operations" in Chicago on Sunday aimed at preserving public

safety but did not provide further details.

ICE also made arrests outside a Home Depot ( HD ) in Tucson,

Arizona, and in neighborhoods with Dominican immigrants in San

Juan, Puerto Rico, with the support of its investigative arm,

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The two Democratic U.S. senators from Illinois, Dick

Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, issued a joint statement saying

Trump's mass deportation effort would go far beyond deporting

criminals and sweep in veterans, essential workers and other

non-criminals.

"We should focus on deporting those who pose a danger to

our country," they said. "And we should give the rest a chance

to earn legal status."

ICE made 956 arrests nationwide on Sunday, the agency

said on X, three times the daily average for arrests in fiscal

year 2024.