Pathetic. Weak. Intimidated.
Such was the despicable display that Joe Scarborough and his guest put on today.
The subject was the shooting in New York City of a federal law enforcement officer by an illegal alien who had not been detained on other criminal charges because of NYC's sanctuary city law.
The guest was a senior NYC police official, John Chell. He gave off the vibes of a traditional cop. But after years of immersion in New York's liberal culture, and likely haunted by the specter of an imminent Mayor Mamdani, Chell chickened out.
Instead of stating the obvious — that sanctuary city laws need to be utterly abolished —Chell suggested that they merely require "thoughtful change."
"We need thoughtful change to our sanctuary city laws in this city . . . And it's a small minority. We're not talking about the majority. The majority work hard, honest people. Pursue the American dream. We're a benevolent city. We want people to pursue the American dream. Hard work and honest migrants. No doubt about it, there should be a path for you. But in the small minority, this judge should have the opportunity to detain this person."
Translation of Chell's mealy-mouthed proposal for "thoughtful change": Keep sanctuary city laws on the books for the great majority of illegal immigrants. Make an exception for the "small minority" who commit crimes in addition to their original crime of entering the country illegally. And even create a "path"-- presumably to citizenship -- for the great majority of illegals!
The pusillanimous Scarborough agreed with Chell's prescription. Whereas the careerist cop was seeking to appease New York's liberal powers-that-be, Scarborough was kowtowing to his liberal viewers and network suits:
"You've been very careful to explain. You understand the purpose behind sanctuary cities, and you understand that it's motivated by people with all of the best intentions . . . Again, it's a minority of those that have come to this country illegally, but still the inability to be able to lock them up because of the sanctuary city status. You say that's the real problem here."
So Scarborough signs up for Chell's suggestion that sanctuary city laws remain on the books for all but the "small minority" of those who commit other crimes.
Scarborough even claimed that advocates of sanctuary city laws have "all of the best intentions." Really? Why don't you spell out those "best intentions," Joe?
Scarborough has the chutzpah to continue to claim that he's a "conservative" on immigration matters. Right. Joe's an immigration conservative of the AOC school. Pitiful performance, Joe.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/21/25
6:44 am EDTCAMILA BERNAL: This is the moment DHS says an off-duty Customs and Border Protection Officer is ambushed and shot late Saturday by a man with a deportation order.
Authorities believe two men who approached on a scooter were attempting to rob the 42-year-old officer, who was in a park with a friend.
Two senior law enforcement sources say it appears to be a random encounter. The alleged shooter, identified by police as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez of the Dominican Republic.
. . .
Mora Nunez was taken into custody after going to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. Authorities confirming he had previously been arrested for domestic violence, robbery, assault, and was wanted in Massachusetts for kidnaping.
President Trump saying on Truth Social that Mora Nunez was apprehended at the border in April 2023, but instead of being deported, was released.
. . .
JOHN CHELL: You know, quite frankly, this is, this should never have happened. And thank God he's going to be okay.
But let's, let's just timeline this. Mr. Mora came into this country April of '23. He was given a notice to appear for a judge hearing. He didn't show up. The judge issued a deportation order in November 6th of '24. He goes in front of a judge a couple weeks later for an arrest. And by our sanctuary city laws, we can't detain him.
From there, he decides to rob someone in the Bronx in December of '24, stab someone in January of '25 in the Bronx, and then takes a trip to Worcester county, Mass and robs a pawn store of numerous firearms.
Don't know what he was doing from January till this past Saturday night, where you see two guys on a moped. We've dealt with for years. Robs a person of interest robbery five minutes prior, approached the federal agent. You see the video right in front of you.
The point that we're making here is, this should never have occurred. We need thoughtful change to our sanctuary city laws in this city that protects our New Yorkers—and that's what he was, he was a New Yorker who happened to be an agent sitting in a park—from these kind of criminals.
And it's a small minority. We're not talking about the majority. The majority work hard, honest people. Pursue the American dream.
This person, Miguel Mora, is the poster child for what is wrong with sanctuary city status in New York City.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. And chief, you have said that you've been very careful to explain. You understand the purpose behind sanctuary cities, and you understand that it's motivated by, by, by people with all of the best intentions. But the practical effect of that leads often to crimes like this.
Again, it's a minority of, of, of those that have come to this country illegally, but still the inability to be able to lock them up because of the sanctuary city status. You say that's the real problem here.
CHELL: No doubt about it. Like I said, we're a benevolent city. We want people to pursue the American dream. Hard work and honest migrants. No doubt about it, there should be a path for you.
But in the small minority, this judge should have the opportunity to detain this person.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
CHELL: The people who are robbed, stabbed. This border patrol officer shot in the face, missing seven teeth, and a bullet lodged in him. They don't care about sanctuary city. They care about their safety. And this is what we are talking about. Thoughtful change for consequences for these actions.
