Homeland Security spokesperson to depart with immigration crackdown

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin will leave the administration, she said in a social media post on Tuesday, a move that comes as public support for President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has dwindled.



McLaughlin was a prominent booster of the Republican president's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement and headed the press operation at DHS, which has come under scrutiny for issuing inaccurate or incomplete statements following violent encounters involving federal immigration officers.



Lauren Bis, currently a deputy in the DHS public affairs division, will take the top role in the department and conservative commentator Katie Zacharia will join as a spokesperson, McLaughlin said, confirming moves previously reported by Reuters.



Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem initially called the victims in those shootings "domestic terrorists" rather than back an investigation, leading to criticism from Democrats and some fellow Republicans.