I think they would agree that the redemption is delayed by the sinful laws of the Israeli state (permissiveness in violation of Kashrut, sexual immorality, etc.) but they also feel that the ingathering which Israel represents is not in itself a bad thing, but a wonderful phenomenon.
I don't know what your Lubavitch co-workers think but the Lubavitcher Rebbe clearly opposed referring to the state of Israel as "the first flowering of our redemption". That phrase is generally used by religious zionist or mizrachi Jews, never by Chabad. I can quote you the sichos where the Rebbe said this but I need to look them up.
Yes, the ingathering of the exiles is definitely a positive thing and a precursor to the redemption.