On Friday’s episode of “Real Time,” host Bill Maher unexpectedly challenged his guest, Dr. Phil, about his involvement with the Trump administration’s ICE raids, sparking a contentious dialogue between the two.

“Why are you going on these ICE raids?” Maher asked Dr. Phil.  “I don’t understand that.” 

Maher remarked, “For years, you have been a figure focused on reuniting families and healing rifts between them. How do you reconcile that with participating in operations where families are forcibly separated?”

The former clinical psychologist pulled no figurative punches.

“Well, now that’s bullsh—t,” Dr. Phil countered, before launching into a comparison. 

Dr. Phil responded, “Consider a scenario where a citizen is arrested for an offense, like driving under the influence with a child in the car. Do you think families aren’t separated in such situations? Naturally, they are!”

“But that’s not what’s going on,” Maher argued.

Moments earlier, Maher had introduced the topic as “another thing” President Donald Trump is doing as he is “doubling down on unpopular.” 

Dr. Phil took an even further step back, addressing part of Maher’s monologue where he had criticized masked ICE agents. He said the masks are a result of legislators “doxxing” officers. 

“[Legislators are] putting their names, their pictures, their addresses of their families on the internet, they’re putting them on telephone poles,” Dr. Phil noted. “So, of course, they’re wearing masks so they don’t get outed, so people can do violence against their families.”

The former talk show host cited “files” he had seen to justify the ICE operations he has joined.

“They’ve got a rap sheet, 12, 14 different cases long of child predators that they’re taking off the street,” Dr. Phil said.

“These are the worst first that they’re taking off the streets. Who would want them back in their communities?” 

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, who was also a guest on Maher’s show Friday, found some common ground with Dr. Phil and admitted that he supports “closing the borders,” but argued the administration’s actions have not matched their words.

“When you’re going to Home Depot, when you’re going to people’s jobs, when you’ve been given authorization to enter churches and to enter other properties…who they have been targeting has been different than what they originally advertised,” Smith concluded. 

Maher echoed Smith’s argument, adding ICE is going to places where people are “already working.”

“If you can’t go to work because you’re hiding, what other recourse is it for [illegal immigrants] except crime?” Maher asked.Dr. Phil has reportedly accompanied ICE two times – first on the ground during January’s Chicago raids and during the Los Angeles raids in June.