A former top official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lost the Republican primary in Ohio’s 9th congressional district. Madison Sheahan’s defeat by former state representative Derek Merrin signals how unpopular ICE has become amid an aggressive immigration crackdown in President Donald Trump’s second term.
Primary Results and Implications
Republican voters apparently thought a former ICE official would not be the ideal candidate to take on longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has repeatedly defeated Republican challengers in her Republican-leaning district — including Merrin, who narrowly lost to Kaptur in 2024. The 2026 rematch between Kaptur and Merrin will feature friendlier terrain for Merrin thanks to new district maps Ohio Republicans drew up last year.
Sheahan's Campaign and Controversy
Sheahan launched her campaign in January with a video touting her work on immigration in the Trump administration. “When the call came to help President Trump clean up the dangerous immigration mess, as deputy director of ICE, I answered the call,” Sheahan said in the video. “We will not stop until our American families and everyday Americans are safe.”
The campaign video came out before immigration authorities had killed two American citizens protesting its chaotic enforcement operations in Minnesota, however, prompting the Trump administration to make something of a retreat. Disapproval of ICE has risen since then.
Debate Over ICE's Political Liability
During a debate last month, Alea Nadeem, one of the other Republican candidates, said ICE had become a political liability for Republicans. “Republicans have this terrible impression — as I’m out there knocking on doors, ICE does come up a lot, and it’s really divided the country, even some Republicans,” Nadeem said.
Sheahan's Background and Criticism
Sheahan has also boasted during the campaign about her work with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries before serving as an aide to former Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem and later becoming deputy director of ICE. Some ICE officials reportedly called her “fish cop” behind her back, but Sheahan insisted to New York Magazine she was qualified for immigration work. “Because at the end of the day,” she said, “what really makes anybody qualified for any job?”
