Joe Scarborough Lashes Out at ICE for ‘Going After’ Families of Active US Service Members

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed the Trump administration for having “lied to America” as he erupted over reports that dozens of family members of active troops had been detained by ICE, calling the turn a “radical leap” from the campaign promise to deport “the worst of the worst.”

An Associated Press investigation found that the Trump administration has detained more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. service members since the president returned to office as part of its immigration crackdown. At least six have been deported, one has self-deported and eight immediate relatives of service members remain in federal immigration custody.

Reacting to the news on Friday, Scarborough blasted the administration as “shortsighted and stupid.”

“So they’re actually deporting men and women in uniform who are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect and defend the United States of America,” he began. “Is that really how shortsighted and stupid they are, that they are deporting people that want to serve in uniform and risk their lives for America?”

“Meanwhile, they’re holding members of the military on a boat, won’t let them come home,” co-host Mika Brzezinski added, referring to reports of deteriorating conditions for sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln as they enter month nine of their Iran deployment without rotation.

The MS NOW crew then ran a report on the detention of active service members’ families, including an interview with one veteran. The report only served to incense Scarborough further.

“Is there any starker example, any starker illustration, of how much this administration has lied to America about going after ‘the worst of the worst’ – only the worst of the worst?” he asked. “They’re going after veterans, they’re going after active duty servicemen, servicewomen, they’re going after the mothers of sergeants! The worst of the worst?”

He continued: “I’m sorry, but we were raised to believe that these were the best of the best, the men and women that put on the uniform and the families who supported them as they went off around the world to protect this country in our national interests.”

“But now, Stephen Miller’s regime is putting these people away!” he said. “No wonder Donald Trump’s numbers have completely collapsed on immigration.”

Contributor Sam Stein agreed and noted the segment was “really tough to watch.”

“To see a family ripped up like that?” Stein said. “That was the first thing that came to my mind is that the pro-family, pro-Christian party is responsible for the destruction of families just like that.”

“Now, they would say, of course, like, well, you know, you can’t be selective in terms of immigration enforcement and these people were in violation of some law,” he continued. “But I think –”

Scarborough cut him off, shouting his point: “But Sam, they said they were doing the worst of the worst. When they say ‘we’re going after the worst of the worst,’ you can separate that out [from] going after the military, going after veterans, going after their families.”

“That is a radical leap from ‘the worst of the worst,’” the host concluded.

Watch above via MS NOW.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!