Noem Names ICE Lawyer Charles Wall Deputy Director After Sheahan Resignation Amid Intensified Enforcement
ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan resigned to launch a Republican campaign against Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th District, pitching a pro‑Trump, "No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done." message and touting her tenure overseeing rapid internal growth at the agency. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem immediately appointed longtime ICE attorney Charles Wall—ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor since 2012 who oversees more than 3,500 attorneys and support staff—as deputy director, saying the move aligns leadership with intensified enforcement and public‑safety priorities amid rising protests and threats to officers.
📌 Key Facts
- Madison Sheahan resigned as ICE deputy director to run as a Republican against long‑serving Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.
- Sheahan launched her campaign with the slogan “No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done.,” positioning herself as a pro‑Trump, no‑excuses candidate and attacking Kaptur as a “career politician” comfortable with the “swamp.”
- Sheahan and her team tied her ICE enforcement record to her political pitch; the campaign rollout was reported via high‑profile Axios coverage/leak.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praised Sheahan, explicitly tied her to Trump’s enforcement priorities, and announced the immediate appointment of longtime ICE attorney Charles Wall as ICE deputy director.
- Charles Wall has served as ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor for the past year, has been with ICE since 2012, and oversaw more than 3,500 attorneys and support staff.
- ICE’s internal portrayal of Sheahan’s tenure credits major organizational expansion—describing growth from roughly 20,000 to about 30,000 employees, a budget increase from about $10 billion to roughly $85 billion, and hiring 12,000 new officers in 180 days.
- DHS framed Wall’s appointment as part of ensuring ICE leadership aligns with the Trump administration’s public‑safety and intensified enforcement priorities amid growing protests and reported threats against ICE officers.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, ICE reported a more than 1,150% increase in assaults and violence against U.S. ICE law enforcement officers compared to previous years, with specific incidents including 66 car attacks on officers since January 21, 2025, up from just two in the same period the previous year.
Sanctuary Politicians' Rhetoric Fuels More Than 1,150% Increase in Violence Against ICE Law Enforcement Officers — Department of Homeland Security
From 2020 to 2024, immigration accounted for 94% of Minnesota's net population growth, with the foreign-born population reaching nearly 490,000 residents in 2023, comprising 8.6% of the state's total population.
As Boomers die, immigrants propel Minnesota's population growth — MinnPost
Sanctuary counties experience on average 35.5 fewer crimes per 10,000 people compared to non-sanctuary counties, with research showing no evidence that sanctuary policies cause an increase in crime and some evidence they may lead to a decrease in property crime.
What Is a Sanctuary City? — Vera Institute
In 2025, 5% of people detained by ICE have violent convictions, while 73% have no criminal convictions, with a significant increase in detentions of those without criminal history.
5% of People Detained By ICE Have Violent Convictions, 73% No Convictions — Cato Institute
Key drivers of migration from Latin America to the US in 2025 include economic instability, violence, political persecution, and natural disasters in countries like Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua, with over half of the US foreign-born population originating from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Impact of Current U.S. Immigration Policy on Latin America in Three Charts — Americas Society/Council of the Americas
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that longtime ICE attorney Charles Wall has been appointed ICE deputy director effective immediately.
- Wall has served as ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor for the last year, overseeing more than 3,500 attorneys and support staff, and has been with ICE since 2012.
- DHS is framing the appointment as part of ensuring ICE leadership is aligned with the Trump administration’s public‑safety priorities as enforcement intensifies and protests and threats against ICE officers grow.
- Confirms timing and framing of Sheahan’s resignation specifically as the launch of a Republican campaign against Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th District.
- Reiterates that Sheahan is positioning herself as a no‑excuses, pro‑Trump candidate and attacking Kaptur as a career politician.
- Underscores that her campaign is being rolled out through a high‑profile Axios leak/coverage, tying her ICE record to her political pitch.
- Confirms Sheahan is specifically running in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District against long‑serving Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
- Provides Sheahan’s initial campaign messaging and slogan: 'No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done.'
- Includes a detailed statement from Sheahan framing her run as backing President Trump’s agenda and criticizing Kaptur as a 'career politician' 'comfortable with the swamp.'
- Adds an on‑the‑record endorsement quote from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praising Sheahan and explicitly tying her to Trump’s enforcement priorities.
- Details ICE’s internal portrayal of her tenure: expansion from roughly 20,000 employees and a $10 billion budget to about 30,000 employees and an $85 billion organization, and claim that she oversaw hiring 12,000 new officers in 180 days.