DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin Set To Leave Agency, Her Replacement Is Already Lined Up

The Trump administration is facing a leadership shift at the Department of Homeland Security, according to a new report.

As Politico reported, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin is expected to inform colleagues on Tuesday that she is leaving the agency next week, according to two DHS officials familiar with the matter who spoke to the outlet.

Another source told the outlet that McLaughlin began planning her departure in December but postponed it in the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last month.

During her tenure at DHS, McLaughlin positioned herself as one of the Trump administration's most forceful defenders during tense moments tied to immigration enforcement operations in Chicago and Minneapolis, frequently sparring with critics on social media.

Politico reported that McLaughlin logged as many as five media appearances a day at the height of her time at the agency. A former ABC News contributor, she appeared on Fox News, CNN, NPR and Newsmax, and even joined podcasts hosted by Charlie Kirk, Chris Cuomo and Howard Kurtz.

McLaughlin previously served in the first Trump administration, working for Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and at the State Department on arms control issues.

Although long planned, her departure follows a Wall Street Journal article describing "constant chaos" inside the agency and criticizing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's leadership, including an allegation that a U.S. Coast Guard pilot was fired for misplacing the secretary's blanket.

Axios reported that DHS plans to replace McLaughlin with Lauren Bis, her deputy, who will be promoted to assistant secretary of public affairs.

DHS is also bringing on Katie Zacharia, a Fox News commentator and adviser to Richard Grenell, the interim head of the Trump-Kennedy Center and former U.S. ambassador to Germany. Zacharia will serve as deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Public Affairs, a person familiar with the matter told Axios regarding the shakeup at DHS.