‘They Will Pay’: Morning Joe Clamors for Prosecutions Against ICE

Nicholas Spinnato
September 15th, 2026 11:05 AM

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On Tuesday’s Morning Joe, the liberal MS NOW morning program went after ICE as the ever-present Joe Scarborough called for prosecutions against ICE and said they will be remembered in history “the same way we read about the internment camps during World War II.” Frequent guest and New York Times opinion writer Mara Gay also called for a “truth and reconciliation commission” over ICE.

Gay led and called immigration enforcement “a blight on every American citizen.” She then feared, “If this administration can do this to people who are not citizens on U.S. soil, they are capable of doing it to anybody. And I think American voters inherently understand that.”

In the summer, Gay called Trump officials “white supremacists” because of ICE operations.

 

 

Scarborough interrupted Gay and made fun of “bro podcasters” and begged for praise for his imitation of podcasters saying they were "so shocked" over ICE actions and, seemingly making fun of podcaster Theo Von, proclaimed "I need a mullet," as his wife and co-host Mike Brzezinski looked very displeased.

Gay then began the calls for ICE prosecutions: “There are people who need to go to jail. And I don't think that that is an exaggeration. I don't think that's hyperbole. You know, being an ICE agent, for example, does not give you carte blanche to break the law. “

As Scarborough and Brzezinski constantly interrupted her, Gay finally got to the end of her answer: 

And those individual ICE agents, they have bosses, they have commanders, they have people who are setting this policy. And we are going to have to have, if not a truth and reconciliation commission after all this, we're going to have to have some serious accountability.

 

 

After Gay’s comments, Scarborough went all-in against ICE and threatened them:

I've warned on this show in real time, that justice will find them.

That they're being told right now, "We'll pay you X amount of money. You put on this mask, you can go out, you can do whatever you want to do, and Donald Trump will protect you.” Donald Trump won't be in the White House forever. 

And so these people that are doing this, they don't understand that justice will find them. The courts will find them. Juries will find them. Prosecutors will find them. And they will pay for the laws. 

Brzezinski added, “Pardons only cover so much.”

Scarborough continued and repeated, “They will pay for the laws they’ve broken,” before he said historians will remember ICE like they remember Japanese internment camps in World War II:

And, you know, say also, you talked about some silver linings here on what this sorry, sorry episode that will - I think historians will look back, and our grandchildren, children and grandchildren will read this the same way we read about the internment camps during World War II.

Morning Joe has really liked to compare ICE to a variety of things, especially from the World War II era. Earlier this year, Scarborough likened ICE to “secret police" and compared them to the KKK. Last month, he compared the aftermath of ICE shootings in Minneapolis to the Jim Crow South and “what happened” in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

The transcript is below. Click "expand":

MS NOW’s Morning Joe

September 15, 2026

7:06:13 AM Eastern

(...)

MARA GAY: Well, and this is being done in our name. And so this is a blight on every American citizen. This is a blight on the vision for our country. And it's scary because let me just say, you know, if this administration can do this to people who are not citizens on U.S. soil, they are capable of doing it to anybody. And I think American voters inherently understand that. The one silver lining -it's not even a silver lining - I would just say I'm encouraged by the fact that the administration knew enough to hide it for as long as they did these cages. And I think, you know, we should just take a little bit of heart there, because I don't think Americans signed up for this. Even people who voted for Donald Trump, they wanted criminals gone from the streets. They did not want families separated.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Aren’t we hearing that from all the bro podcasters. “I'm so shocked, man. I'm so shocked, man. How could this be? He said they were only going to be the worst of the worst.”

GAY: Right? I do think though  if the Democrats win -

SCARBOROUGH: It’s a pretty good imitation. But go ahead. 

GAY: It is. Sorry. I just want to give you your flowers.

SCARBOROUGH: Sort of just a – of all the bro podcasters. I need a mullet. There’s no doubt about it. 

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Or just -

GAY: Right, right. No, it's that's - right. 

But I do think this is a situation where we need to have some accountability. And so if the Democrats do take control of Congress in the midterms, there need to be hearings. 

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah. 

GAY: There are people who need to go to jail. And I don't think that that is an exaggeration. I don't think that's hyperbole. You know, being an ICE agent, for example, does not give you carte blanche to break the law. 

SCARBOROUGH: No. 

GAY: And by the way.

BRZEZINSKI: Or shoot people dead in the street

GAY: Or shoot people in the street. And - 

SCARBOROUGH: Execution style.

BRZEZINSKI: Where do any of these cases stand, by the way?

GAY: That’s right.

And those individual ICE agents, they have bosses, they have commanders, they have people who are setting this policy. And we are going to have to have, if not a truth and reconciliation commission after all this, we're going to have to have some serious accountability.

SCARBOROUGH: I've warned them in real time - I’ve warned on this show in real time, that justice will find them.

GAY: Right.

SCARBOROUGH: That they're being told right now, "We'll pay you X amount of money. You put on this mask, you can go out, you can do whatever you want to do, and Donald Trump will protect you.” Donald Trump won't be in the White House forever. 

And so these people that are doing this, they don't understand that justice will find them. The courts will find them. Juries will find them. Prosecutors will find them. And they will pay for the laws. 

BRZEZINSKI: The pardons only cover so much.

SCARBOROUGH: They will pay for the laws they've broken. And, you know, say also, you talked about some silver linings here on what this sorry, sorry episode that will - I think historians will look back, and our grandchildren, children and grandchildren will read this the same way we read about the internment camps during World War II.

John Lemire, I think historians will also look back and see this story as a story that broke the fever. You know, ‘25, the White House had a run. They could trample over constitutional norms with impunity. The courts were intimidated. Everybody, you know, the schools were intimidated. Everybody was intimidated by him. 

But Minneapolis. Minneapolis broke the fever. Americans saw people in Minneapolis stand up to these people with masks that were breaking the law, that were shooting dead Americans in the street. And even though some people on Fox News tried to justify the killing of Americans in the streets of America. Good luck with that in the future. Great legacy to have there. Good luck with that. Good luck with that. 

Even though that happened, Americans woke up, and they said, "Wait, we didn't sign up for this” We wanted the worst of the worst out, but instead we're having moms being shot in the streets of Minneapolis?

We're having young fathers gunned down in the streets of Maine. We're having grandfathers and workers of 30 years, loved and respected by his community, being shot and killed in Houston, Texas. That's not what America is about. And if you look at Donald Trump's approval ratings on immigration, it used to be his strongest point. It's the reason why it's not anymore, because this is not who Americans see themselves as being.

(...)

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