Fox News contributor Kennedy reportedly said Thursday that a so-called “civil war” within President Donald Trump’s administration over immigration enforcement appears to have reached a turning point — and, in her view, a clear winner.
Kennedy made the remarks during an appearance on The Five, where the panel discussed border czar Tom Homan’s announcement that the federal immigration surge operation in Minneapolis had officially ended. The conversation also touched on a recent podcast interview between former CBS News anchor Katie Couric and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in which the pair debated Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Kennedy took particular issue with Couric’s reaction to statistics showing that 14% of those arrested by ICE were violent criminals. According to Kennedy, that number should not be minimized — and framing it that way misses the broader public safety concern.
“The way for her to play this, especially with someone like Rand Paul, who often times goes rogue from his own caucus, would be to say, you know, we needed to get the 14%. That’s fantastic,” Kennedy said. “But how can we and other cities just focus on that 14% instead of minimizing it, and saying, you know, ‘14% really isn’t that bad.’ Because it is bad.”
Kennedy argued that targeting what she described as the “worst of the worst” was the central point of the recent enforcement strategy. She suggested that state and local leaders — including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — have struggled with crime, homelessness, and other challenges, and that removing violent offenders from their communities was something many local officials ultimately wanted.
However, Kennedy claimed that differences in tactics within the administration complicated the effort. She contrasted Homan’s approach with that of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing that a more public-facing and confrontational style allowed local leaders to push back in equally public fashion.
“When Kristi Noem was in there grandstanding, it allowed Jacob Frey to grandstand,” Kennedy said.
In contrast, she described Homan’s method as more strategic and less theatrical. According to Kennedy, Homan met with officials behind closed doors and shifted tactics by focusing on county jails, where he said cooperation was strong. She said Homan reported that officials from multiple counties were lining up to assist in removing the 14% identified as violent offenders — individuals Kennedy claimed many communities were eager to see taken off the streets.
Kennedy suggested that lowering tensions ultimately produced results. She pointed to what she described as a drawdown in ICE operations and a reduction in deadly street protests as signs that the strategy shift worked.
“I think this is ultimately what the president wanted all along,” Kennedy said.
Using a Civil War analogy, Kennedy framed the internal debate as a battle of leadership styles. She likened Homan to Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general who ultimately secured victory, while comparing Noem to George McClellan, a general removed from command by President Abraham Lincoln.
“There was a civil war within his administration,” Kennedy concluded, “and I believe that we are seeing Tom Homan is the Ulysses S. Grant here. And Kristi Noem is the George McClellan. A footnote in history.”
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