ICE deputy director resigns to run for U.S. Congress in Ohio

Madison Sheahan, deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, holds a press conference on November 13, 2025 in Miramar, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan announced Thursday she is stepping away from her position to run for U.S. Congress in Ohio.

A close confidant to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Sheahan was one of ICE’s most visible faces as the agency carried out U.S. President Donald Trump’s deportation mandate.

She previously worked as Noem’s political director while she was governor of South Dakota.

“I’ve known her for years, she loves her family, Ohio and her country,” Noem said in a statement on Thursday, describing Sheahan as “a work horse, strong executor, and terrific leader who led the men and women of ICE to achieve the American people’s mandate to target, arrest, and deport criminal illegal aliens.”

“She will be a great defender of freedom when she goes to Congress,” Noem added.

The agency where Sheahan served as second-in-command has faced fierce scrutiny for its aggressive tactics as it carries out immigration operations across the country.

The fatal shooting last week of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer has fueled intense protests, which prompted Trump on Thursday to threaten a military crackdown – warning he could invoke the Insurrection Act.

Sheahan expressed her gratitude for Noem and Trump in an email to staff obtained by CNN, saying, “It has been a privilege to fight for you and with you in service to our great nation.”

Sheahan quickly amassed power after joining the agency last March and oversaw ICE’s massive hiring blitz. But her relative lack of law enforcement experience frustrated some inside and outside of the agency.

Prior to joining ICE, Sheahan, 28, most recently served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

In August, several local law enforcement leaders — many of whom support Trump’s deportation agenda — criticized ICE after emails were sent to their deputies from Sheahan urging them to apply to jobs at the agency.

Sheahan, who grew up in Ohio and attended Ohio State University, is running to represent that state’s 9th Congressional District, which has been held by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur since 1983.

The district is one of only 13 that Trump won in the 2024 election that is held by a Democrat in Congress.

In a video announcing her congressional campaign, Sheahan described herself as a “Trump conservative” who is “tired of watching my hard-working family, friends and neighbors pay more and get ignored.”

“Real change means real leadership, and I’ve done it before,” she said.

By Michael Williams, Priscilla Alvarez, CNN