MS NOW host Jonathan Capehart joined PBS News Hour on Friday for his weekly news roundup with New York Times columnist David Brooks and launched several context-less attacks on ICE, including that it has “kidnapped” people. Brooks wasn’t much better, for he accused ICE of “violating due process rights, First Amendment rights," and the "Bill of Rights.” Moderator Geoff Bennett asked Capehart, “As we speak, there are thousands of people in the streets of Minneapolis protesting. We learned this week about an internal ICE memo that allows agents to enter people's homes without a judicial warrant. They're using administrative warrants. At what point does this aggressive enforcement start to undermine constitutional guardrails, Jonathan?”   PBS anchor Geoff Bennett asks Jonathan Capehart, "At what point does this aggressive enforcement start to undermine constitutional guardrails, Jonathan?" Capehart, almost offended by the question, replies, "Start to? One could argue that it's already happening, that you have ICE… pic.twitter.com/zgTwbxClku — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) January 24, 2026   Capehart was almost offended by the question, “Start to? One could argue that it's already happening, that you have ICE busting into people's homes, snatching people off the streets, or, as folks in Minneapolis are saying, people are being kidnapped, cars left in the middle of the road, sometimes still running with the possessions inside because ICE has snatched people off the street.” He continued, “I mean, what is happening in Minneapolis and Minnesota, it breaks my heart because we are seeing these constitutional norms that you're asking about being eroded before our very eyes, being not just challenged but abused. That's the word I'm looking for, abused.” Capehart then tried to provide some examples, “When you look at a 5-year-old who -- and his father who are in process, the asylum-seeking process, which means they are not undocumented, being used as bait, and then shipped to Texas with his father, or Mr. Thao, the 57-year-old who earlier in the week was hauled out of his home in boxer shorts and Crocs and a robe in 12-degree temperatures, I mean, what is happening to the people of Minneapolis, to American citizens? There was just a report today of a U.S. Army vet who was taken into custody for eight hours there in Minneapolis. At some point, at some point—well, I was going to say the administration will have to see the error of its ways, but they will not.” First of all, the allegation that ICE used a 5-year-old as bait is false. Second, the Thao incident seems to be a case of mistaken identity, not wanton violence. Third, DHS alleges the Army vet assaulted an officer. Nevertheless, Capehart continued, “And this gets to the thing where I say my heart's broken, but my heart is full, watching the protests in Minneapolis of people taking to the streets to stand up for their own constitutional rights, but to stand up for their communities and for their fellow folks who live in Minneapolis, because they—people—should not have to live in fear the way that they're living there in Minneapolis right now.” Finally, Capehart concluded, “It's not—just at a moral level, how can anyone look at what's happening in Minneapolis and not stand up and not fight back and not push back? Because if it's happening in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a state that's 75 percent white, it's coming to you next. And it's already happening in Maine.” For his part, Brooks described the administration’s stance toward the Minnesota situation as “a theory that we should rule by force.” He also claimed, “I think what we have seen is a disillusion of the ideals of what democracy is supposed to be all about. And one of the things I'm curious about is, how will the American people react? How are they reacting to the image of the 5-year-old kid Liam? And I think that we already know from polling that large majorities do not approve of what's going on. They think ICE is overbearing, cruel, and ruthless.”   Meanwhile, David Brooks claims "I think what we have seen is a disillusion of the ideals of what democracy is supposed to be all about." He also thinks ICE agents are troops, "when I first started the conservative movement, there was a strong libertarian presence. And the single… pic.twitter.com/Us2ijdF8z6 — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) January 24, 2026   According to Brooks, ICE are “troops,” “Will it cause a break in public opinion of the sort of we haven't seen since the first Trump term? Maybe. You have to remember—I remember, when I first started the conservative movement, there was a strong libertarian presence. And the single greatest thing they were talking about over and over again was federal troops violating due process rights, First Amendment rights, Bill of Rights.” He finished by hoping that this is the issue that finally breaks the Trump coalition, “And this is exactly what's happening under the Republican Party. So there still is a libertarian element within the Republican Party. Are they going to say, what the heck? I did not sign up for this. And we will see if that happens. But this is one of those issues, if there's ever going to be a break on the Trump coalition, I would think this would touch a chord.” One expects Capehart to parrot the liberal line because that is what PBS pays him to do, but Brooks is supposed to be the conservative. He had three cases where he could’ve pushed back and instead chose to either ignore or echo them. Here is a transcript for the January 23 show: PBS News Hour 1/23/2026 7:35 PM ET GEOFF BENNETT: Let's shift our focus stateside with what's happening in Minneapolis with the ICE enforcement. As we speak, there are thousands of people in the streets of Minneapolis protesting. We learned this week about an internal ICE memo that allows agents to enter people's homes without a judicial warrant. They're using administrative warrants. At what point does this aggressive enforcement start to undermine constitutional guardrails, Jonathan? JONATHAN CAPEHART: Start to? One could argue that it's already happening, that you have ICE busting into people's homes, snatching people off the streets, or, as folks in Minneapolis are saying, people are being kidnapped, cars left in the middle of the road, sometimes still running with the possessions inside because ICE has snatched people off the street. I mean, what is happening in Minneapolis and Minnesota, it breaks my heart because we are seeing these constitutional norms that you're asking about being eroded before our very eyes, being not just challenged but abused. That's the word I'm looking for, abused. When you look at a 5-year-old who -- and his father who are in process, the asylum-seeking process, which means they are not undocumented, being used as bait, and then shipped to Texas with his father, or Mr. Thao, the 57-year-old who earlier in the week was hauled out of his home in boxer shorts and Crocs and a robe in 12-degree temperatures, I mean, what is happening to the people of Minneapolis, to American citizens? There was just a report today of a U.S. Army vet who was taken into custody for eight hours there in Minneapolis. At some point, at some point -- well, I was going to say the administration will have to see the error of its ways, but they will not. And this gets to the thing where I say my heart's broken, but my heart is full, watching the protests in Minneapolis of people taking to the streets to stand up for their own constitutional rights, but to stand up for their communities and for their fellow folks who live in Minneapolis, because they -- people should not have to live in fear the way that they're living there in Minneapolis right now. It's not -- just at a moral level, how can anyone look at what's happening in Minneapolis and not stand up and not fight back and not push back? Because if it's happening in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a state that's 75 percent white, it's coming to you next. And it's already happening in Maine. BENNETT: David, how does all of this strike you? DAVID BROOKS: Yes, the domestic analog of the foreign policy. It's a theory that we should rule by force. And I think what we have seen is a disillusion of the ideals of what democracy is supposed to be all about. And one of the things I'm curious about is, how will the American people react? How are they reacting to the image of the 5-year-old kid Liam? And I think that we already know from polling that large majorities do not approve of what's going on. They think ICE is overbearing, cruel, and ruthless. But how much will they react? Will it cause a break in public opinion of the sort of we haven't seen since the first Trump term? Maybe. You have to remember -- I remember, when I first started the conservative movement, there was a strong libertarian presence. And the single greatest thing they were talking about over and over again was federal troops violating due process rights, First Amendment rights, Bill of Rights. And this is exactly what's happening under the Republican Party. So there still is a libertarian element within the Republican Party. Are they going to say, what the heck? I did not sign up for this. And we will see if that happens. But this is one of those issues, if there's ever going to be a break on the Trump coalition, I would think this would touch a chord.