Madison Sheehan, the No. 2 official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a close ally of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is leaving the agency to run for Congress, two U.S. officials familiar with the move told CBS News Thursday.
Mr. Sheehan became deputy director of ICE in March, when the Trump administration overhauled the agency’s leadership amid mounting pressure on the agency to step up its arrests and deportations of immigrants across the country.
In a statement to CBS News, Noem confirmed Sheehan’s departure. She noted that she has known Mr. Sheahan for years and said Mr. Sheahan “will be a great defender of freedom if he goes to Congress.”
“Madison Sheehan is a hard-working, strong enforcer, and great leader who led the men and women of ICE to accomplish the American people’s mission of targeting, apprehending, and deporting criminal illegal aliens,” Noem added. “We wish her all the best.”
Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images 
Sheehan and Noem have a long-standing relationship, but her appointment as ICE’s second-highest-ranking official has frustrated some agency officials. 28 years old It lacked significant law enforcement experience.
Before coming to ICE, Sheehan served as director of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Prior to that, he served as an aide to Noem when he was governor of South Dakota.
Message to ICE employees Posted in X Shortly after this article was first published, Sheehan said he was proud of having “strengthened” ICE and “restored its purpose.”
“As I leave office, I would like to say that it has been the honor of my life to serve my country alongside you,” Sheehan said in his message. “I want to thank President Trump and Secretary Noem for their leadership and steadfast commitment to our agency.”
As the agency responsible for inland deportations and immigrant arrests, ICE has been at the forefront of President Trump’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. The administration has deployed thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents to major American cities, but their actions have been criticized as harsh and high-handed by local leaders and residents.