Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced who would be taking up the role of deputy director of ICE after the sudden resignation of one of its top bosses on Thursday.
“Effective immediately, Charles Wall will serve as the Deputy Director of @ICEgov,” Noem wrote on X.
Wall previously worked as principal legal advisor at ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, representing the agency in deportation cases. He joined ICE in 2012, firstworking as an Assistant Chief Counsel in New Orleans before being appointed to the OPLA in the city. Prior to joining ICE, Wall served as a prosecutor and senior assistant district attorney in New Orleans.
Wall has played “a key role in helping us deliver historic results in arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods” over the past year, Noem wrote in the post.
Effective immediately, Charles Wall will serve as the Deputy Director of @ICEGov.
For the last year, Mr. Wall served as ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor, playing a key role in helping us deliver historic results in arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal…— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 15, 2026
“Mr. Wall has served as an ICE attorney for 14 years and is a forward leaning, strategic thinker who understands the importance of prioritizing the removal of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from our country,” Noem continued.
“I look forward to working with him in his new role to make America safe again.”
Wall will serve as second-in-command to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who last year suggested transforming the country’s mass deportation programs into something “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings,” referring to the service’s expedited delivery program.
Sheahan announced her decision to step down from her role in order to focus on launching a congressional campaign in Ohio earlier on Thursday.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Noem gushed that “Madison Sheahan is a work horse, strong executor, and terrific leader,” adding that she will be “a great defender of freedom when she goes to Congress.”
A DHS insider told the Daily Beast of Sheahan’s plans, “If she’s gonna shake a lot of hands, she needs to learn not to crush them.”
Sheahan joined ICE in March 2025; she had previously served as the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and as a political aide for Noem in South Dakota.
In a farewell message posted on X, Sheahan thanked Noem and President Donald Trump for their leadership and “steadfast commitment to Defend the Homeland.”
“As I depart @ICEgov today, I am proud of the work we have done to protect American families and I am grateful for the brave men and women serving at ICE.”
Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump and @Sec_Noem, for your leadership and steadfast commitment to Defend the Homeland.
As I depart @ICEgov today, I am proud of the work we have done to protect American families and I am grateful for the brave men and women serving at ICE. pic.twitter.com/x9vgAe39Qf— ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan (@ICEDeputy) January 15, 2026
Protests against ICE continue around the country, particularly in Minneapolis, where ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old mom-of-three Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7, and where a federal agent shot a Venezuelan immigrant on Wednesday.
New polling suggests that some 46 percent of Americans now support abolishing ICE, up significantly from 19 percent in September 2024.
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