Trump Admin Cut Immigration Officer Training, Whistleblowers Reveal | AP News

Training Cuts at ICE Raise Concerns Over Officer Preparedness

WASHINGTON — New whistleblower documents detail substantial cuts by the Trump administration to the training requirements for new immigration officers. The reductions, revealed ahead of a forum Monday afternoon with congressional Democrats, are prompting concerns about the preparedness of agents as the agency rapidly expands its ranks.

Among the cuts are the elimination of practical exams, use of force and legal training courses, and an overall reduction in training time, contrary to recent testimony from an official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Lauren Bis, deputy assistant public affairs secretary at DHS, stated that no training hours have been cut, asserting that officers receive “extensive firearm training, are taught de-escalation tactics, and receive 4th and 5th Amendment comprehensive instruction.” She added that training continues after graduation through a “rigorous on-the-job training program that is tracked and monitored.”

The documents were provided to Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) by whistleblowers from DHS. Ryan Schwank, an attorney who recently resigned as an instructor for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruits at the ICE Academy in Georgia, has been identified as one of the whistleblowers and is scheduled to testify at the forum. Schwank was also one of two individuals who previously disclosed to Blumenthal’s office an ICE policy allowing agents to enter homes without a judicial warrant.

In excerpts from his prepared testimony, Schwank describes the current training program as “deficient, defective and broken.” He warned that inadequate training “can and will get people killed,” leading to “unlawful arrests, violations of constitutional rights, and a fundamental loss of public trust in law enforcement.” He further stated, “ICE is lying to Congress and the American people about the steps it is taking to ensure its 10,000 new officers faithfully uphold the Constitution and can perform their jobs.”

A 90-page memorandum from the minority staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations details the specific cuts. The documents show that ICE has eliminated more than a dozen practical exams previously required for graduation. In July 2021, cadets needed to pass 25 practical exams. now, only nine are required. Eliminated exams include “Judgment pistol shooting,” “Criminal encounters,” and “Determine removability.” The memo states that these evaluations are now primarily assessed through open-book, multiple-choice written exams, without any graded practical component.

The syllabus comparisons reveal that entire courses have been cut, including use of force simulation training, instruction on U.S. Government structure, and training on the distinction between criminal and removal proceedings.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons recently testified to Congress that while the agency reduced the number of training days from 75 to 42, the schedule was adjusted to six 12-hour days per week, compared to five eight-hour days previously. However, the documents appear to contradict this claim, indicating that current ICE recruits receive nearly 250 fewer hours of training than previous cohorts.

These training reductions are occurring as ICE plans to onboard more than 4,000 new Enforcement and Removal Operations officers this fiscal year, which ends in September. As of January 29, 2026, ICE had already graduated 803 new officers and projects an additional 3,204 graduates by the end of the fiscal year.

Senator Blumenthal encouraged more whistleblowers to come forward, stating, “We know about the Trump Administration’s decimation of training for immigration officers and its secret policy to shred your Constitutional rights because of the brave Americans who are speaking out today. They are coming to Congress because we have the responsibility to not only bear witness to these crimes, but to do something to make sure they don’t happen again.”

The revelations come amid a partial government shutdown stemming from a dispute between Democrats and the Trump administration over oversight of immigration officers, as of February 17, 2026, according to the Associated Press. The shutdown appears to have no clear end in sight.