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DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin to leave Trump admin, source confirms
By Michael Dorgan, Preston Mizell, Jasmine Baehr
Published February 17, 2026
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin is leaving the Trump administration, Fox News has confirmed.
McLaughlin, one of the administration's most vocal defenders of President Trump's immigration enforcement policies, is set to leave the administration next week.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X Tuesday confirming her departure, saying McLaughlin served with "exceptional dedication, tenacity, and professionalism."
"Tricia McLaughlin has served with exceptional dedication, tenacity, and professionalism as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland. She has played an instrumental role in advancing our mission to secure the homeland and keep Americans safe," Noem wrote. "While we are sad to see her leave, we are grateful for her service and wish Tricia nothing but success."
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin is leaving the Trump administration, Fox News has confirmed. (Fox News)
McLaughlin confirmed her departure in a post, saying she is "enormously grateful."
"I am immensely proud of the team we built and the historic accomplishments achieved by this Administration and the Department of Homeland Security," McLaughlin wrote on X. "I look forward to continuing the fight ahead!"
The DHS spokesperson planned to leave as early as December but delayed her departure amid high-profile DHS incidents, including the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month, according to a person briefed on her exit.
In the case of Renee Good, McLaughlin described the incident as "an act of domestic terrorism" and said an ICE officer fired "defensive shots" after a vehicle was allegedly used against law enforcement. Politico was first to report that McLaughlin plans to depart DHS next week.
McLaughlin frequently defended the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement operations, including high-profile ICE actions in Minnesota and other states and often cited data showing an increase in assaults against federal immigration officers.
She often responded forcefully to critics on X, pushing back against criticisms of the administration’s immigration actions.
In one example, she rejected allegations from Senate Judiciary Democrats that 2025 had become the deadliest year in decades for immigrants in ICE custody, accusing Democrats of "trying to twist data to smear ICE law enforcement" and stating there had been "NO spike in deaths."
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin poses for a portrait in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, 2026. McLaughlin is leaving the Trump administration next week, Fox News has confirmed. (Jack Gruber-USA TODAY)
McLaughlin also argued that those held in ICE custody receive appropriate medical care and a "higher standard of care" than most U.S. prisons.
As news of her departure broke, McLaughlin posted a detailed defense on X responding to criticism over DHS’s use of Coast Guard aircraft in migrant transport operations, arguing the plane had been diverted for search-and-rescue efforts and accusing critics of seeking to "politicize this mission and tragic loss of life." Critics had questioned the appropriateness of deploying Coast Guard resources for immigration enforcement.
An Ohio native, McLaughlin also served in the first Trump administration at the Treasury Department under then-Secretary Steven Mnuchin and at the State Department on arms control issues.
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ICE agents carrying out an operation in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, 2026. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
McLaughlin previously served as political communications director for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and as a senior adviser on Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2024 Republican presidential campaign, according to the DHS website.
Katie Zachariah, a Fox News contributor, will be taking over her post, McLaughlin confirmed.
Fox News Digital's Preston Mizell and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dhs-spokeswoman-tricia-mclaughlin-exit-trump-administration