ICE Whistleblower Calls Training Program “Broken” as DHS Pushes Back
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is defending the way it trains new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruits, saying officers are receiving the “same hours of training officers have always received.”
This after a whistleblower came forward and told a joint panel of House and Senate Democrats that the agency’s training program is “deficient, defective, and broken.”
Former ICE academy instructor Ryan Schwank told the congressmembers that “Without reform, ICE will graduate thousands of new officers who do not know their constitutional duty, do not know the limits of their authority, and do not have the training to recognize an unlawful order.”
Schwank served as an attorney at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in Georgia and instructed ICE recruits in the legal curriculum. He resigned on February 13.
Schwank provided the panel with documents purportedly showing that FLETC shortened its ICE training program from 72 days to 42 days, and claimed that classes such as firearms training were eliminated or shortened. He also said he saw recruits using disproportional force during training.
“Deficient training can and will get people killed. … ICE is lying to Congress and the American people about the steps it is taking to ensure that 12,000 officers can faithfully uphold the Constitution and perform their jobs,” said Schwank.
DHS Defends Training
DHS defended its training program and says new recruits receive 56 days of training and an average of 28 days of on-the-job training.
DHS also said it’s streamlining training to “cut redundancy and incorporate technology advancements, without sacrificing basic subject matter content,” adding that “no subject matter has been cut” and “no training requirements have been removed.”
“Our officers receive extensive firearm training, are taught de-escalation tactics, and receive Fourth and Fifth Amendment comprehensive instruction. The training does not stop after graduation from the academy—Recruits are put on a rigorous on-the-job training program that is tracked and monitored,” said DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
DHS also noted that FLETC is prepared to accommodate the 12,000 new hires in 2026, with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) more than doubling resources to enhance training for ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The hearing with Schwank was the third public forum held by Congressional Democrats to examine tactics used by ICE in immigration enforcement. Scrutiny has been heightened since the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minnesota.