Kennedy claims 'Karen wing' will punish any Democrat who votes to keep DHS open amid budget stall

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., branded what he called the "Karen wing" of the Democratic Party as irrational for stalling a full Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget over demands for immigration enforcement reform.

Kennedy's comments followed hostile questioning aimed at the leader of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a volatile House hearing, which he said reminded him of "the game room in a mental hospital."

"This is not a rational process. This discussion we're having is not a discussion about how we should use scarce taxpayer resources to fund the Department of Homeland Security," Kennedy said Wednesday on "The Faulkner Focus."

"The Karen wing of the Democratic Party wants to defund ICE, just like they wanted to defund the police, and we know how that vampire movie turned out," he said, adding the wing was now in control of the party.

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Kennedy claimed that even if Republicans agreed to all their demands for ICE reforms, the Democrats still wouldn't pass a budget package because "the Karen Wing will punish any Democrat that votes to keep the Department of Homeland Security open."

The Senate is scrambling to avoid a third government shutdown under President Donald Trump. Another closure would be limited to just the DHS, affecting agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and others under the Homeland Security umbrella, but not ICE. Immigration operations are flush with billions from Trump's "big, beautiful bill." 

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Democrats’ prime objective is reining in ICE following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. As tensions run high, Kennedy criticized anti-ICE agitators, calling them "deeply weird" and claiming that some of them give off an "'I've got a freezer full of body parts in my basement' vibe," even while acknowledging their right to protest.

"You can be deeply weird in America. You can protest. What you can't do is protest violently... if you protest violently and act like a butthead and try to interfere with a cop, it's not gonna end well. Even your cocker spaniel knows that."

Kennedy offered a parting tip to agitators.

"Most cops, including ICE officers, will leave you alone unless you do illegal stuff."

Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.