In a significant political move, a senior official from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has resigned her post to launch a bid for Congress. Madison Sheahan, the deputy director of ICE and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, announced her candidacy for a crucial Ohio district on Thursday.
From Homeland Security to the Campaign Trail
Madison Sheahan, aged 28, revealed her decision in a campaign video, framing her brief tenure at the agency as a period of historic achievement. She cited the recruitment of 12,000 new ICE officers and the deportation of 2.5 million people over the past year. "Ohio neighbourhoods are safer thanks to President Trump and ICE," she claimed in the announcement.
Her appointment to the second-ranking role at ICE in March raised eyebrows, as she brought no prior law enforcement experience to the position. She was installed during a major reshuffle of the agency's leadership, part of the Trump administration's drive to intensify immigration enforcement across the nation.
A Controversial Tenusre and a Key Political Target
Her time in leadership coincided with the agency's deadliest year since 2004, with 32 individuals losing their lives while in ICE custody. The agency has been at the heart of the administration's hardline policies, deploying thousands of agents to major cities for operations criticised by local officials as excessive. Public outcry has grown following last week's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer.
Sheahan is setting her sights on Ohio's 9th district, currently represented by Democrat Marcy Kaptur, who narrowly won her 22nd term in 2024 by less than one percentage point. This district is a prime electoral battleground; it is one of only 13 nationwide that Trump won in 2024 while also electing a Democrat. The Cook Political Report now rates the seat as a toss-up for Democrats.
In her campaign material, Sheahan attacked Kaptur for opposing funding for the border wall, promising "real leadership" for what she described as an overburdened and overlooked constituency.
Background and Reaction
Prior to her role at ICE under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Sheahan served as secretary of Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Her career was forged in South Dakota politics under then-Governor Noem, where she worked as her political director and later as executive director of the state's Republican party.
In a farewell message to ICE staff posted on social media, Sheahan called her service "the honor of my life" and thanked both Trump and Noem for their "steadfast commitment." She wrote, "I am proud of the work we have done to protect American families and I am grateful for the brave men and women serving at ICE."
The political announcement came on the same day that Donald Trump responded to ongoing tensions by threatening military intervention, suggesting he might invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota.
