DHS spokesperson defends construction-site enforcement, calls Venegas suit 'race-baiting opportunism'
Tricia McLaughlinDHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the department's construction-site enforcement practices as lawful, rejecting allegations of racial profiling raised in Leo Garcia Venegas's lawsuit and dismissing the suit as unwarranted.
“DHS law enforcement uses 'reasonable suspicion' to make arrests. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. — NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did DHS violate the Fourth Amendment with warrantless immigration raids on Alabama construction sites?
Leo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen construction worker in Baldwin County, Alabama, was detained by ICE agents at private construction sites three times between May 2025 and May 2026, each time after presenting a valid Alabama REAL ID that agents did not accept as proof of citizenship. Venegas and the Institute for Justice sued DHS in September 2025, challenging warrantless entry onto private construction sites, preemptive detention without individualized suspicion, and continued detention after workers produce citizenship evidence. DHS disputes that these practices exist as policy, argues Venegas lacks standing because he does not own the worksites, and contends REAL IDs are not reliable proof of citizenship. On September 21, 2026, Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock issued a temporary stay blocking all three challenged practices while the case proceeds; the litigation is ongoing.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Associated Press wire story (byline Tim Sullivan) carrying DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin's on-the-record statement dismissing the lawsuit as 'race-baiting opportunism,' published the day after the AP's initial filing story.
Before the quotation
The lawsuit filed by Leo Garcia Venegas and the Institute for Justice accused DHS agents of detaining Latino construction workers based on their ethnicity and disregarding their evidence of citizenship.
After the quotation
McLaughlin also said any U.S. citizens arrested by DHS agents were detained because they obstructed or assaulted law enforcement, not because of their appearance, and that the lawsuit contributed to a reported rise in assaults on ICE officers.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
McLaughlin's statement defends DHS's construction-site enforcement as lawful, denying that ethnicity plays any role in who is detained and asserting agents rely on 'reasonable suspicion' under the Fourth Amendment. This defends the department's targeted practices that are under scrutiny in the case rather than condemning them.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Leo Garcia Venegas, Institute for Justice
More from this case
Read the full caseVenegas says the court's stay lets him work without fear of arrest for no reason
“For the first time in a long time, I will be able to go to work without worrying that I will be arrested for no reason.”Read statement
Jared McClain welcomed the stay of DHS's construction-site practices as restoring the rule of law, rejecting warrantless entry, blanket detention and refusal to credit identification
“a huge blow to DHS’s lawless enforcement practices”Read statement
Jared McClain condemned the challenged construction-site practices as Fourth Amendment violations and welcomed the opportunity to prove the claims after the case survived dismissal
“these violations of the Fourth Amendment”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- DHS spokesperson defends construction-site enforcement, calls Venegas suit 'race-baiting opportunism'
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/2233-dhs-assistant-secretary-tricia-mclaughlin-defended-the-department
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "DHS spokesperson defends construction-site enforcement, calls Venegas suit 'race-baiting opportunism'". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/2233-dhs-assistant-secretary-tricia-mclaughlin-defended-the-department