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No. 2 U.S. ICE official Madison Sheahan leaving agency to run for Congress
Sheahan plans to run to represent Ohio's 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives
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Reuters - Thu, 15, Jan 2026
- 13:41 EST
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Madison Sheahan speaks during a press conference about 'Operation Midway Blitz', an immigration enforcement campaign, from a hangar in Gary, Indiana, U.S., October 30, 2025. / REUTERS/Leah Millis
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan is leaving the agency and running for Congress, she said in social media posts on Jan. 15.
Sheahan, 28, joined ICE early last year and was a close ally of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Sheahan plans to run to represent Ohio's 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur, she said.
Also Read: U.S. courts fault ICE detentions of Indian nationals
ICE has been at the forefront of President Donald Trump's wide-ranging immigration crackdown over the past year, as the Republican president has surged officers to Democratic-led U.S. cities in a bid to drive up deportations. The agency has faced particular scrutiny in the past week after an ICE officer in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three.
On Jan. 14 night, an ICE officer shot a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis during an enforcement operation, adding to tensions in the city, where residents have taken to frigid streets to protest Trump's immigration sweeps. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the officer was attacked with a shovel and broomstick and fired defensively.
The aggressive enforcement tactics - with ICE and Border Patrol agents tackling suspected immigration offenders in public and spraying chemical irritants at protesters - have fueled violent encounters, current and former ICE officials told Reuters.
"We have been empowered to put the safety of the American people first," Sheahan wrote. "Together, we strengthened our agency, restored its purpose, and set a new standard for excellence."
Noem praised Sheahan in a statement, calling her "a work horse, strong executor, and terrific leader."
FRUSTRATION AND TURNOVER AT ICE
While ICE has played a prominent role in Trump's crackdown, the administration has reshuffled leadership at the agency several times in the past year. The agency's acting director was pushed out in February as Sheahan - a former Noem campaign aide in South Dakota - joined as deputy.
Some current and former ICE officials bristled at the Trump administration's decision last year to install Sheahan as a senior official given her lack of experience with ICE and limited law enforcement credentials. Sheahan was the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries before joining ICE.
The Trump administration removed two top ICE leaders in May as White House aide Stephen Miller, the driving force behind Trump's immigration agenda, pressed for more arrests.
Current and former ICE personnel told Reuters last year that officers were grappling with burnout and frustration as they struggled to meet Miller's aggressive goals.
The U.S. midterm elections in November will decide control of Congress, where Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers.
Kaptur won Ohio's 9th District, in the northwest corner of the state, by a narrow margin in 2024, and several political experts rate the district as leaning toward Republicans.
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