ICE Reduced Basic Training by 40%, Dropped Driving Tests And Cut Firearms Hours During Hiring Surge: Report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reduced its basic training program to 42 days last year, eliminated driving tests and cut firearms instruction as it accelerated hiring to expand deportation operations, according to internal records obtained by The Washington Post.

The documents show ICE removed about 240 hours of instruction — more than 40% of the program — as the Trump administration pushed to double the number of officers in the field to 20,000.

The training academy, previously 72 days long, was shortened to 47 days in August and further reduced to 42 days in September, records reveal.

Findings also indicate that more than 100 hours of hands-on instruction were eliminated, including half of the 56 hours previously dedicated to firearms training. Nearly all fitness training time was cut. ICE also dropped 26 hours previously allocated to evaluating recruits' immigration enforcement skills and eliminated time for driving tests. Three-quarters of the hours once used to assess practical skills, including firearms handling, were removed.

Between August and Jan. 1, more than 1,400 recruits attended the shortened academy. As of Jan. 1, more than 900 officers had graduated from the revised program and were assigned to field offices nationwide.

Graduation rates declined from roughly 80% under the full-length program to about 60% under the shortened version, according to the records. One in four recruits failed to complete the revised training, most due to written exams or physical assessments.

The findings corroborate testimony from former ICE instructor Ryan Schwank, who resigned in February. Speaking at a February 24 forum hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia, Schwank said the training program was "deficient, defective and broken" and accused the agency of dismantling essential components.

ICE told the Post that recruits receive the same total hours through longer daily instruction and additional on-the-job training, stating: "It's the same hours of training officers have always received." The agency also said graduates complete an average of 28 days of field training.

However, records reviewed by The Post indicate that daily academy instruction remained about eight hours as of January, contradicting claims of 12-hour training days. Policing expert Marc Brown told the news site that "training on the job doesn't replace training at the academy," particularly in law enforcement careers.