Reacting to a NBC News report that the rush to put more masked ICE agents on the streets is resulting in a flood of applicants who have violent histories and possible criminal backgrounds, the panel on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” warned chaos on U.S. cities is about to take a turn for the worse.

As co-host Mike Brzezinski reported, “ICE officials later discovered that some recruits had criminal backgrounds, failed drug tests, or did not meet physical or academic standards. What’s more, some recruits had not submitted fingerprints for background checks, which is a violation of ICE hiring policy. In fact, one recruit had prior charges for strong-armed robbery and battery related to domestic violence.”

“Additionally, nearly half of recruits failed the written exam, even with access to notes and textbooks,” she continued. “All of this as ICE has shortened its training program from 13 weeks to six weeks to accelerate the on-boarding process. ICE’s HR office is reportedly overwhelmed by more than 150,000 applicants, spurred by a $50,000 signing bonus.”

https://www.rawstory.com/ice-recruiting-recipe-disaster

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ice-scorched-over-recruitment-chaos/ar-AA1P2Ioh

Larysa Kostak was at a routine court hearing when three masked officers grabbed her, put her in shackles, and dropped her in a crowded holding room at 26 Federal Plaza, New York City’s immigration court. 

She was so frightened, she couldn’t remember her husband’s phone number to call for help.

“That moment, my life stopped and split before and after,” the Brooklyn resident of 20 years told PIX11 News. 

Kostak was held for seven days in one of the building’s widely-criticized holding rooms, then transferred 1,000 miles away to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana. Her story has become all too common as federal agents crawl the hallways of 26 Federal Plaza, constantly and often violently cuffing immigrants who’ve shown up for court, according to advocates who say the Trump administration is acting unlawfully.

Three months later, Kostak is reunited with her son and husband in Sheepshead Bay. But her fight to stay in the U.S. is far from over, as the federal government tries to detain her again, her lawyers said.

“I lost three months of my life. I don’t want to [lose] my life again. I live in constant fear of being re-arrested,” Kostak said. “I don’t want to go back there.”

NYC woman lives in ‘constant fear’ after monthslong ICE detention

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Larysa Kostak was at a routine court hearing when three masked officers grabbed her, put her in shackles, and dropped her in a crowded holding room at 26 Federal Plaza, New …

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/northeast/nyc-woman-lives-in-constant-fear-after-months-long-ice-detention/amp

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/nyc-woman-lives-in-constant-fear-after-monthslong-ice-detention/ar-AA1OYRgv

As the White House launches its eighth operation against alleged drug smugglers in international waters, there’s still no evidence to support its claims.

The first step was taken seven weeks ago. Donald Trump ordered a deadly military strike against a civilian boat in international waters, and according to the White House, the operation killed 11 people. The president justified the strikes by claiming the targets were boats smuggling drugs that would eventually reach the United States, but neither he nor his team presented any evidence — to the public or to Congress — in support of the claim.

It was the first, but not the last. The second came two weeks later, followed soon after by several more. Late last week, the Republican administration pointed to a seventh such strike, followed by an eighth, this time in the Pacific Ocean. The New York Times reported:

The Times’ report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC, noted the White House has officially claimed that the first seven strikes have collectively killed 32 people. If the latest reporting is correct, it suggests that the new total is nearly three dozen.

Trump expands military strikes against civilian boats, this time in the Pacific Ocean

As the White House launches its eighth operation against alleged drug smugglers in international waters, there’s still no evidence to support its claims.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-expands-military-strikes-civilian-boats-time-pacific-ocean-rcna239212

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/maddow-blog-trump-expands-military-strikes-against-civilian-boats-this-time-in-the-pacific-ocean/ar-AA1OZzOh

In our first members-only Q&A, Joanna Coles is joined by Nico Hines and Farrah Tomazin to discuss how Trump can still be impeached, the likelihood of this happening, and whether he would remain in office if it did.⁠

The One Thing Trump’s Impeachment Hangs On⁠

In our first members-only Q&A, Joanna Coles is joined by Nico Hines and Farrah Tomazin to discuss how Trump can still be impeached, the likelihood of this happening, and whether he would remain in office if it did.⁠ ⁠

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/the-one-thing-trump-s-impeachment-hangs-on/vi-AA1P3Gqa

Lindsey Halligan, who brought cases against James Comey and Letitia James, allegedly violated records-retention laws

A top federal prosecutor’s use of an encrypted messaging application with messages set to be automatically deleted after eight hours was potentially illegal, two watchdog groups said.

Lindsey Halligan, the interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, used Signal earlier this month to communicate with Anna Bower, a journalist for Lawfare, about the criminal case she is pursuing against the New York attorney general, Letitia James. Bower published the full conversation on Monday evening and said Halligan had set messages to auto-delete after eight hours.

Top US prosecutor’s use of text message auto-delete could be illegal, watchdog groups warn

Lindsey Halligan, who brought cases against James Comey and Letitia James, allegedly violated records-retention laws

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/23/prosecutor-lindsey-halligan-auto-delete-chats

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/top-us-prosecutor-s-use-of-text-message-auto-delete-could-be-illegal-watchdog-groups-warn/ar-AA1P3xWr

Dáte, who authored a book about Trump titled “The Useful Idiot: How Donald Trump Killed the Republican Party with Racism and the Rest of Us with Coronavirus,” defended what he characterized as his responsibility to call out Trump for misleading statements.

“I routinely say that the president lies. He does … What can I do? I mean, that’s who he is, and so I don’t apologize for that at all,” the reporter said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5567128-huffpost-reporter-white-house-feud

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/reporter-feuding-with-leavitt-the-president-lies/ar-AA1OYIcM

In case after case, Homeland Security’s Public Affairs Office releases incorrect information about arrests carried out by federal immigration officers.

If you’ve spent any time reading the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) public statements lately, you’ve probably gotten a strong whiff of what Tennessee Williams once called the “powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity.”

Of course, all governments since time immemorial have lied, but it’s been hard not to notice, especially for reporters, the decline in reliable information being released by the federal government, particularly the DHS Office of Public Affairs, which is responsible for distributing public information about the Trump administration’s mass deportation program.

Homeland Security won’t stop lying about who immigration enforcers are arresting

In case after case, Homeland Security’s Public Affairs Office releases incorrect information about arrests carried out by federal immigration officers.

https://reason.com/2025/10/22/homeland-security-wont-stop-lying-about-who-immigration-enforcers-are-arresting

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/homeland-security-won-t-stop-lying-about-who-immigration-enforcers-are-arresting/ar-AA1OXTGc