ICE on the ballot: Kaptur demands reform; opponents remain silent

Funding DHS at standstill; partial shutdown continues

Feb 14, 2026

SANDUSKY — The race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District is heating up, but the latest flashpoint isn’t just about the economy or local infrastructure—it’s about the presence and power of federal deportation teams in the Midwest.

Following the tragic deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this past January—killed by federal agents during a paramilitary deportation operation—U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur is calling for immediate, sweeping reforms of ICE and the Border Patrol.

Kaptur, who has served since 1983, faces a political landscape that has shifted beneath her feet. After narrowly defeating Derek Merrin by just 1% in 2024, she now navigates a redrawn district with an even stronger Republican base. The gerrymandered district now falls into the “likely Republican” category for election prospects in the future.

While Kaptur has taken a hard line against the “paramilitary” tactics seen in Minnesota, her Republican challengers have remained notably quiet. Despite the national conversation on Trump-era deportation teams — and the battle in Washington for funding the Department of Homeland Security — the three Republicans seeking the nomination have yet to remark on the deaths of Good and Pretti or whether such teams should be deployed here in Ohio.

Meanwhile, the Libertarian candidate David Edward Gerard holds the party line of opposing federal overreach, but it is at social media where the true “9th District” temperature is being taken.

The five Republican candidates—former state Rep. Derek Merrin, former DHS Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, and state Rep. Josh Williams, Anthony Campbell and Alea Nadeem—have maintained a strict “no comment” policy regarding the January deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. They are not responding to press inquiries about their position on ICE, the deaths of Good and Pretti, or if they would welcome and Ice deportation team to Ohio.

Kaptur recently called on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign. Sheahan, who was Noem’s deputy director until Jan. 15, when she resigned and announced her candidacy, has not commented about Noem since the secretary falsely claimed Pretti was a domestic terrorist and White House advisor Stephen Miller mischaracterized him an assassin.

Merrin and Williams also have not responded to questions about where they stand.

The Digital Divide

On Facebook, the reaction to our reporting was swift and stark. For many, the Minneapolis tragedy served as a warning.

“Keep ICE out of Ohio!” wrote Shawn Meyers. “Using military against your own people is communism and unpatriotic.” Others were more succinct: “ICE Nazis OUT!” wrote Maida Bliss, while Susan Weber Zeier and several others echoed a simple, repetitive chant: “ICE OUT!”

However, the support for federal enforcement remains firm among many local conservatives. “Ice is law enforcement. I want laws abided by,” wrote Deb Wagner. Others, like Mark A. Stuckey and Paul E. Bollinger, countered the “ICE Out” movement with calls of “Welcome ICE” and “ICE In.”

The debate isn’t just about presence; it’s about the mechanics of government. David Longo pointed out the legislative hurdles Kaptur faces: “If the Dems force a partial shutdown of DHS... they’ll hurt agencies like the TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard, while ICE goes right on doing its thing.”

As the May 5 primary approaches, the silence from the Republican field grows louder against the backdrop of a community clearly divided on where the line between “law and order” and “federal overreach” should be drawn.

The 9th District, which includes Erie, Ottawa, Sandusky, and several other Northwest Ohio counties, is currently being ignored by its GOP hopefuls on one of the most pressing national security and civil rights issues of the year: the conduct of federal “deportation teams.”

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Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to show there are five candidates running for the Republican nomination in the 9th U.S. Congressional District.