Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security assistant secretary who emerged as the unapologetic voice of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is leaving the agency.
As the lead spokesperson for the parent agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Border Patrol, McLaughlin challenged reporters daily and at all hours — frequently calling them out individually on social media — as the administration deployed thousands of officers into various cities.
Her sharply worded news releases — sometimes making allegations about demonstrators and deportees that later proved false — and constant TV appearances made her possibly the most quoted person in the administration aside from President Donald Trump himself.
“Tricia McLaughlin has served with exceptional dedication, tenacity and professionalism as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.
In the wake of the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota, McLaughlin doubled down on the administration’s characterization of the two U.S. citizens killed by immigration officers as domestic terrorists prior to the completion of an investigation. McLaughlin claimed Good, who was killed in January, “was using her vehicle to block-in law enforcement officers and obstruct lawful operations,” and claimed Pretti, who was killed that same month, “violently resisted” officers.
Bystander video later proved both characterizations misleading at best.
McLaughlin also denied that ICE detained 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos or that he was used as bait to arrest his father, whom she accused of abandoning his son.
She has also defended the agency’s use of administrative warrants to enter homes rather than warrants signed by judges in immigration enforcement operations.
McLaughlin, whose departure was first reported by POLITICO, said in a statement that she is “enormously grateful to President Trump, Secretary Noem, and the American people for the honor and privilege to serve this great nation.”
“I am immensely proud of the team we built and the historic accomplishments achieved by this Administration and the Department of Homeland Security,” she said, adding that she looked forward “to continuing the fight ahead.”
The reason for McLaughlin’s departure was not immediately clear.
News of her departure comes during a partial funding lapse of the DHS that began Feb. 14, after Congress failed to agree on a funding bill. Democrats in particular refused support unless major changes were made to the department’s immigration enforcement policies.
Vaughn Hillyard, Akayla Gardner and Camille Ray contributed to this report.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.