Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Madison Sheahan announced her departure on Thursday, January 15, to run for Congress.
Sheahan was one of ICE's most visible figure during the enforcement of President Donald Trump's deportation policies.
She is also a close ally of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and previously served as Noem's political director when she was governor of South Dakota, as per CNN.
“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 in a statement.
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.”
While in her campaign announcement video, Sheahan called herself a strong supporter of Trump and a conservative.
She said she wants to fight for ordinary people who feel overburdened and overlooked like her family, friends and neighbours.
Before her time at ICE, she served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Sheahan, originally from Ohio and a graduate of Ohio State University, is running for Congress in Ohio’s 9th District, which has been held by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur since 1983.
