Tricia McLaughlin is leaving her role as Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs next week, leaving behind an embarrassing legacy as a pathological liar who failed to mislead the public on the Trump administration's disgusting immigration tactics.
In fact, McLaughlin has told so many lies that were easily disproven by video evidence that nothing the Department of Homeland Security says can now be taken at face value.
And even worse for President Donald Trump, the lies didn’t even work.
Trump is now at his lowest approval rating of his second term, and polling shows that the public disapproves of his immigration policy—with a majority of Americans believing that the administration has “mostly lied” about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs
So let’s take a look at some of McLaughlin’s worst offenses that got us here.
After DHS agents shot and killed Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti, McLaughlin wrote on DHS’ official X account that Pretti, "approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun" and then "violently resisted" arrest, accusing Pretti of wanting "to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
That lie immediately fell apart as video after video of the gruesome execution surfaced, showing that Pretti was holding a phone—not a gun—and was trying to help someone who was being assaulted by federal agents when he was tackled and killed.
McLaughlin also lied about Renee Good, another Minnesotan who was shot and killed by an immigration agent, by saying that Good was "stalking" and "harassing" an agent who was "trying to get their vehicle out of the snow.” But videos have proven that the agents' vehicle was not stuck in snow.
She also claimed that the agent who killed Good "was in fear for his life"—even though he was not in front of her car when she attempted to drive away.
And if you can believe it, McLaughlin lied about another immigration agent-involved shooting in Minnesota—yeah, there have been a lot of them.
When Julio C. Sosa-Celis was shot by an ICE agent, DHS posted a statement on X saying that he and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, "attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle," causing the officer to fire “a defensive shot to defend his life."
Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were charged, but the charges were dropped last week when prosecutors found, "newly discovered evidence in this matter [that] is materially inconsistent with the allegations.”
“Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,” said Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE. “Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation.”
Related | ICE detained 5-year-old to keep him warm, says DHS stooge
But wait, there’s more!
When ICE agents frog-marched U.S. citizen ChongLy Thao out of his house wearing only underwear, slippers, and a robe, McLaughlin accused Thao of living with convicted sex offenders and defended his detention because he “matched the description of the targets” who the agents were looking for.
Of course, Thao had no ties to the sex offenders, and—even more embarrassingly for McLaughlin—the man who Thao purportedly resembled was already in custody.
But that didn’t stop McLaughlin from doubling down on her lies.
“Why are [House Democrats] defending convicted sex offenders?” she wrote on X.
And that’s still not all.
A cartoon by Clay Jones.
In May, McLaughlin lied about an incident outside of a New Jersey ICE detention center, which state officials and members of Congress were trying to inspect. Multiple elected officials were arrested and charged with crimes, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver—which McLaughlin defended.
“We actually have body camera footage of some of these members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer,” she said.
It was quickly proven that no one "body-slammed" an ICE agent in a video that McLaughlin herself posted. Charges against Baraka were dropped, but the Department of Justice is still pursuing charges against McIver.
McLaughlin has defended her blatant lies, telling The New York Times that “we work every day to give the American people swift, accurate information on evolving, challenging law enforcement operations as federal law enforcement officers are facing a highly coordinated campaign of violence against them."
But that in itself is a lie.
McLaughlin simply has no shame, and she used her job with the DHS to defend Dear Leader—no matter the cost. But now she no longer has that job.
McLaughlin is reportedly being replaced by Lauren Bis, who currently serves as DHS’ deputy assistant secretary for media relations. And unfortunately, it seems that she is just as willing to lie through her teeth.
Just take a look at this cringeworthy video, in which she “debunks” lies about DHS operations and claims that ICE detention facilities are spotless places where people are treated well.
In reality, people detained by ICE are abused and neglected—including the 31 people in 2025 and six people in 2026 who died in ICE detention facilities.
McLaughlin might be out, but the bullshit certainly isn’t.
