Madison Sheahan, the deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is resigning from her post to launch a Republican campaign for Congress in Ohio.
The resignation was announced Thursday morning, the sources said. Sheahan is entering the race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, which is represented by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress. Kaptur has held the seat since 1983 and won re-election in November 2024.
Sheahan’s campaign website casts her candidacy as a challenge to Washington’s entrenched leadership and focuses heavily on economic and immigration themes.
“No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done,” a message on the site reads.
The website says Sheahan is running to “protect American jobs, American paychecks, and American values in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.”
Sheahan’s campaign biography describes her as “a senior government executive and national leader in public administration, law enforcement, and political operations,” noting she most recently served as deputy director of ICE.
“In this role, she led one of the nation’s largest federal law enforcement agencies, overseeing strategy and execution in support of border security, interior enforcement, and the rule of law,” the site states.
The campaign also ties her tenure to the Trump administration’s broader immigration agenda.
“Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Sheahan was entrusted with helping guide ICE through a period of historic transformation,” the biography says.
The website claims that during her time at ICE, the agency grew significantly in both staffing and resources, saying it “expanded from roughly 20,000 employees and a $10 billion budget into an $85 billion organization of more than 30,000 professionals.” It also says Sheahan “managed the hiring of 12,000 new law enforcement officers within 180 days.”
The race sets up a high-profile contest in northwest Ohio, where Kaptur has long maintained a political foothold even as parts of the district have shifted rightward in recent presidential elections. Kaptur was re-elected in 2024, despite several counties in the district supporting President Donald Trump in that year’s contest. (RELATED: Minnesota, Minneapolis, And St. Paul Sue US Government To Stop Immigration Crackdown)
Sheahan’s departure comes as immigration enforcement remains a major political flashpoint nationally, with ICE at the center of debate over border security, deportations, and the role of federal law enforcement in Democratic-led cities.
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