Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, is departing the agency after serving as a key defender of the Trump administration's immigration policies. Her exit comes amid a shutdown at DHS and congressional scrutiny over recent shootings by immigration officers. McLaughlin announced that her deputy, Lauren Bis, will succeed her in the role.
Tricia McLaughlin has been the public face of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) immigration efforts under the Trump administration for the past year. As assistant secretary for public affairs, she frequently appeared in network interviews to defend mass deportation policies, promote arrests by immigration agents, and encourage immigrants to self-deport. She also addressed questions on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's handling of national disaster relief.
The department confirmed McLaughlin's departure on Tuesday, following an initial plan to leave in December that was delayed due to the aftermath of shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. DHS is currently shut down after lawmakers failed to pass a budget to fund it through the end of the fiscal year in September. High-ranking officials, including Noem, have been summoned to Capitol Hill to testify on the immigration crackdown related to these incidents.
In a statement, McLaughlin said: "I am immensely proud of the team we built and the historic accomplishments achieved by this Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. I look forward to continuing the fight ahead." She noted that Lauren Bis, her current deputy, will replace her as assistant secretary for public affairs, with Katie Zacharia becoming deputy assistant secretary. POLITICO first reported the departure, and it is unclear where McLaughlin will go next.
Noem praised McLaughlin on the social platform X, stating she "served with exceptional dedication, tenacity, and professionalism." "While we are sad to see her leave, we are grateful for her service and wish Tricia nothing but success," Noem wrote.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries commented on X: "Another MAGA extremist forced out of DHS. Noem next."
McLaughlin recently defended Noem's description of Pretti as a "domestic terrorist" following his death by Customs and Border Protection officers. She told Fox Business: "Initial statements were made after reports from CBP on the ground. It was a very chaotic scene. The early statements that were released were based on the chaotic scene on the ground and we really need to have true, accurate information to come to light."
During congressional hearings, heads of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement denied providing Noem with information to support that claim. An NPR analysis in January found that DHS has issued unproven or incorrect claims in social media and press releases about immigrants targeted for deportation or U.S. citizens arrested during protests.
