WASHINGTON — New whistleblower documents reveal the Trump administration significantly reduced training requirements for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, eliminating practical exams in areas like firearms proficiency, leverage of force, and legal proceedings. The disclosures come ahead of a forum Monday afternoon where Democratic lawmakers are scrutinizing federal agent tactics, and contradict recent testimony from ICE officials.
The documents, provided to Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) by DHS whistleblowers, demonstrate a marked decrease in training hours and a shift away from practical assessments. According to a 90-page memorandum prepared by the minority staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, current ICE recruits receive approximately 250 fewer hours of training compared to previous cohorts.
Ryan Schwank, a former ICE Academy instructor who resigned on February 13, is scheduled to testify at the forum. In prepared remarks shared with The New York Times, Schwank described the training program as “deficient, defective and broken,” warning that inadequate preparation “can and will get people killed” and lead to constitutional rights violations. He further asserted, “ICE is lying to Congress and the American people.”
The changes detailed in the documents include the elimination of practical exams such as “Judgment pistol shooting,” “Criminal encounters,” and “Determine removability.” These assessments were replaced with open-book, multiple-choice written exams, lacking any graded practical component. Entire courses, including use of force simulation training, instruction on U.S. Government structure, and the distinction between criminal and removal proceedings, were reportedly cut.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons testified earlier this month that while the agency reduced the number of training days from 75 to 42, the schedule was adjusted to six 12-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. Still, the whistleblower documents appear to contradict this claim, indicating a substantial reduction in overall training content.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that no training requirements have been removed. In a statement, DHS asserted that new recruits receive 56 days of training, supplemented by an average of 28 days of on-the-job training. The agency claims the streamlining of training was intended to eliminate redundancy and incorporate technological advancements, not to reduce subject matter content. DHS stated that recruits still receive instruction on use-of-force policy, safe arrest techniques, de-escalation tactics, and the 4th and 5th Amendments.
These reductions in training come as ICE plans to onboard over 4,000 new Enforcement and Removal Operations officers this fiscal year, ending 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. DHS indicated It’s prepared to train 12,000 new hires this year, noting that the majority are experienced law enforcement officers who have already completed police academy training.
Senator Blumenthal has encouraged additional 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.”
Separately, Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-CA) of the House Oversight Committee, along with Senator Blumenthal, has launched an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security regarding allegations of unlawful detentions of U.S. Citizens and immigrants by federal agents. Garcia has joined Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in demanding accountability for these alleged actions. The U.S. Senate has also called for ICE reform and blocked funding, according to reports from The Jerusalem Post.
Democrats held a forum Monday afternoon to discuss Trump-era immigration enforcement practices following recent fatal shootings, as reported by The Hill.
