ICE Deputy Director resigns to run for Congress as a Republican

Madison Sheahan, Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), announced her candidacy for Congress. The official resigned her post to run as a Republican in Ohio's 9th congressional district in the House of Representatives.

Sheahan, 28, made the official announcement on her X account, where she described herself as a "Trump conservative" who is running to "protect American jobs, wages and values."

The young official is running against Democrat Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress. Kaptur took her seat in 1983 and has been re-elected ever since, even as the Buckeye State has become increasingly Republican over the past ten years.

Currently, the 9th Congressional District spans far into northwestern Ohio and includes the city of Toledo.

In November 2024, Kaptur managed to prevail against Republican Derek Merrin by 0.7 percentage points, despite Donald Trump winning that same district by eight points.

"For too long, Northwest Ohio has been represented by a career politician who has grown comfortable with the swamp and disconnected from the people back home," Sheahan said in her launch video.

"I am running because President Trump deserves a Congress that stands firmly behind his agenda, and Ohio deserves an elected Representative that will make America safer, more affordable, and more prosperous," she added.

Before coming to ICE, Sheahan served as Policy Director for then-South Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem, now Secretary of Homeland Security. She also served as Executive Director of the South Dakota Republican Party from January 2023 to January 2024.

In addition, she served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, overseeing a $280 million budget and leading a team of more than 800 employees in the wildlife, fisheries and enforcement divisions.

"I’ve known her for years, she loves her family, Ohio and her country. She will be a great defender of freedom when she goes to Congress," Noem said of the Republican candidate.

"Madison Sheahan is 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. We wish her all the best," she added.

According to Sheahan's campaign website, during her tenure at ICE she oversaw "strategy and execution in support of border security, interior enforcement and the rule of law" under President Trump's leadership.