ICE Cuts Training Time, Adds Combat Gear as Thousands Of New Agents Flood In: Report

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expanding its workforce at an unprecedented pace, cutting training time and issuing combat gear to new recruits as the agency prepares for a surge in deportation operations, according to a new report.

The expansion follows the congressional approval of $76.5 billion in new funding for ICE, nearly 10 times its annual budget, with about $30 billion set aside for staffing. The agency plans to hire 10,000 additional deportation officers by the end of the year, more than doubling the current force of 6,500.

ICE acting director Todd Lyons told the AP that the agency has already received 121,000 many from former officers. To accelerate the process, ICE has shortened its training program, as AP learned through a visit to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia.

Caleb Vitello, who oversees training for new agents, said Spanish-language requirements, for example, have been reduced to cut five weeks from the course. Recruits will now do more training at their assigned field offices. "We're seeing and we're having to adapt to all different scenarios that we were never trained for in the past," Lyons said, citing violent confrontations during recent arrests.

The agency is also now issuing helmets and gas masks to new officers and deploying security teams to accompany agents. "We're not gonna allow people to throw rocks anymore," Lyons said, explaining that specialized backup will now be standard. ICE has also increased its reliance on Special Response Teams, deportation officers with SWAT-style training, currently numbering about 450 nationwide.

As for practices that are still being put into practice, recruits continue to receive instruction on immigration law, the Fourth Amendment, and limits on administrative warrants. Vitello emphasized that if officers are denied permission to enter a home, "you have to leave." At the same time, ICE maintains it has authority to make arrests in vehicles, a practice that has drawn criticism from immigrant advocates.

When it comes to recruiting, the agency has removed age limits for applicants, introduced student loan repayment programs, and re-hired retired officers through "Operation Return to Mission," which offers signing bonuses and a waiver allowing continued pension benefits.