On Thursday, Kristi Noem appointed a new deputy director for ICE amid ongoing protests and the organization’s continued enforcement of Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Charles Wall, who was ICE’s principal legal adviser, will step into the role, replacing 28-year-old Madison Sheahan. Sheahan is stepping down as she embarks on a political campaign to represent Ohio’s 9th District in the House of Representatives.
With a tenure at ICE dating back to 2012, Wall has most recently been responsible for leading the team of lawyers representing the Department of Homeland Security in removal proceedings, providing essential legal guidance to agency officials.
Noem praised Wall, calling him “a forward-leaning, strategic thinker” who recognizes the critical need to prioritize the deportation of individuals who pose a threat, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists. “I look forward to working with him in his new role to make America safe again,” she added.
Sheahan’s tenure at ICE began early last year, during which she formed a strong alliance with Homeland Security Secretary Noem.
Despite ICE’s central role in the enforcement of Trump’s immigration crackdown, the organization has experienced multiple leadership changes over the past year.
The agency’s acting director was pushed out in February as Sheahan – a former Noem campaign aide in South Dakota – joined as deputy.
Sheahan was appointed less than a year ago by Noem to serve directly under ICE Director Todd Lyons, a close ally of Noem’s chief rival, Trump border czar Tom Homan.
Charles Wall (pictured) was named deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (pictured) named a new deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the organization faces volatile protests while maintaining Donald Trump’s migrant crackdown
Some current and former ICE officials bristled at the Trump administration’s decision last year to install Sheahan as a senior official, given her lack of experience with ICE and limited law enforcement credentials.
Homan and Noem have been locked in a power struggle inside Trump’s second-term immigration apparatus, with Homan pushing aggressive, enforcement-first mass deportations while viewing Noem as slow and overly political, sources close to Homan have told the Daily Mail.
The rivalry has hardened as rank-and-file ICE agents and DHS officials increasingly align with Homan’s hardline leadership style over Noem’s public-facing approach at DHS.
Sheahan’s departure indicates Noem’s grip over the department may be slipping amid pressure from the White House to increase deportations.
Sheahan was the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries before joining ICE.
Noem praised Sheahan in a statement, calling her ‘a work horse, strong executor, and terrific leader.’
The Trump administration removed two top ICE leaders in May as White House aide Stephen Miller, the driving force behind Trump’s immigration agenda, pressed for more arrests.
ICE has been at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown over the past year, as the Republican president has surged officers to Democratic-led US cities in a bid to drive up deportations.
Wall, previously ICE’s principal legal adviser, replaces 28-year-old Madison Sheahan (pictured), as she plans to run to represent Ohio’s 9th District in the House of Representatives
Border Czar Tom Homan (pictured) and Noem have been locked in a power struggle inside Trump’s second-term immigration apparatus
The agency has faced particular scrutiny in the past week after an ICE officer in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good, a US citizen and mother of three.
On Wednesday night, an ICE officer shot a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis during an enforcement operation, adding to tensions in the city, where residents have taken to frigid streets to protest Trump’s immigration sweeps.
The US Department of Homeland Security said the officer was attacked with a shovel and broomstick and fired defensively.
The aggressive enforcement tactics – with ICE and Border Patrol agents tackling suspected immigration offenders in public and spraying chemical irritants at protesters – have fueled violent encounters.
On Wednesday, the Daily Mail revealed ICE has come under scrutiny by DHS watchdogs after Good’s shooting death by ICE officer Jon Ross rattled national confidence in the agency.
Independent investigators inside the DHS’s Office of Inspector General are now looking into whether the rush to hire 10,000 new agents as part of the agency’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration has led to dangerous shortcuts in vetting and training.
The investigation began in August but has taken on new urgency amid protests and controversy surrounding recent ICE enforcement actions.
Near-daily television news video showing agents roughing up protestors and a 21-year-old permanently losing his sight after an ICE agent fired a nonlethal round at close range during another demonstration in Santa Ana, California have added to public unease about the agency.
On Wednesday night, an ICE officer shot a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis during an enforcement operation, adding to tensions in the city, where residents have taken to frigid streets to protest Trump’s immigration sweeps
The agency has faced particular scrutiny in the past week after an ICE officer in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good (pictured left), a US citizen and mother of three
One poll showed 46 percent of people in the country want ICE to be completely abolished with another 12 percent being unsure.
A team of inspectors is set to make its first visit next week to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia – where sources say new recruits are being fast-tracked.
The audit, which was initially stalled by DHS officials who were slow to turn over information to investigators, could take months to complete.
It will result in a report to Congress, though ‘management alerts’ can be sent as needed to address more pressing concerns, insiders explained.
‘They’re offering $50,000 incentives for people to sign up, dropping their vetting and fitness standards, and then not training them well,’ one source told us about ICE’s new recruits. ‘This would appear to be a recipe for disaster.’
Another ICE insider told the Daily Mail that investigators are particularly interested in learning who made the decisions to lower training standards.
