The deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is resigning to run for Congress.
Madison Sheahan is running for Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s seat in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, according to The Hill.
In a post on X, Sheahan called herself “a Trump conservative running for Congress to protect American jobs, American paychecks, and American values.”
“No Excuses. Let’s get it done,” she said.
I’m Madison Sheahan. I’m a Trump conservative running for Congress to protect American jobs, American paychecks, and American values.
No Excuses. Let’s get it done.
Join our team today:https://t.co/zGNdMEzFk1 pic.twitter.com/Gz0CI8e5YV
— Sheahan For Ohio (@TeamSheahan) January 15, 2026
Sheahan said her work at ICE has made a difference.
“In less than one year with ICE, I’ve stopped more illegal immigration than Marcy Kaptur has in her 43 years in Washington,” she said in a video on her campaign website.
“When the call came to help President Trump clean up the dangerous immigration mess as deputy director of ICE, I answered the call,” Sheahan added in the video.
“In just one year, we’ve made history, recruiting 12,000 new ICE officers and agents, and deporting over 2.5 million illegal aliens. Ohio neighborhoods are safer thanks to President Trump and ICE,” Sheahan said.
“At ICE, I returned security to our communities. I’m ready to take that same mindset to Congress,” she said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a statement supporting Sheahan, according to The Hill.
“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.
Noem described Sheahan as “a 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.”
Sheahan’s official biography on the ICE website said she was “a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, where she was a member of the women’s rowing team and earned a bachelor’s degree in public affairs, public management, leadership, policy, and agribusiness, with minors in community and business leadership.”
Sheahan previously was secretary for Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and worked in various leadership positions under Noem when she was governor of South Dakota.
If elected, Sheahan would be the youngest member of Congress, according to the Columbus Dispatch. She is a month younger than Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida.
The Republican primary Sheahan is entering includes state Rep. Josh Williams, former state Rep. Derek Merrin, and Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem.
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