'Getting out while the getting's good?' Questions raised about ICE official's exit

A top official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is stepping down from her post to launch a Republican campaign for Congress in Ohio, and "CNN This Morning" panelists questioned the timing.

Madison Sheahan announced Thursday she will leave the agency after less than a year to challenge incumbent Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), and her campaign seems to be shaping up as a test of voter support for ICE operations in the wake of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good and ongoing chaos in Minneapolis.

"It will be a testfor her," said Vox podcaster Noel King. "I mean, I wonder why she's stepping down.I mean, I saw this news and Iwas like, is she getting outwhile the getting's good? Imean, really and truly, thisdoes not seem, the job she's indoes not seem an enviable one atthis time."

Democrats are working to craft their own message around ICE, with Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) arguing that calls to abolish the agency altogether could be a repeat of the "defund the police" argument that turned away voters in 2020.

"I've interviewed Gallego and, you know, obviouslyhe's in a swing state, Arizona," said New York Times podcaster Lulu Garcia-Navarro. "He's had a pretty measuredapproach as senator to to thisissue, and the messaging, Ithink, reflects that, which isabolish ICE is not a winningslogan. It was used as a cudgelin the same way that 'defund the police' was. Well, let mesay this. It is not a winningstrategy. Now, if the Democratstake over power, and if you havea Democratic president and ifthey decide to, you know,reconstitute ICE, I thinkthat's fine. But to run onthis, I don't think is theright tactic."

"You want to dosomething later on because ICEhas become this bloated agency,which it it frankly has underthis president, very chaoticagency being used for thingsthat it hasn't traditionallybeen used for," she added. "That's one thing.But I don't know that this is awinning argument for someonerunning in a local race, right, to to sort of have and certainlynot for the national Democratic Party."

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