Former ICE Lawyer Blows Whistle on 'Deficient and Broken' Agent Training
A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer has publicly denounced the agency's training program as "deficient, defective and broken" during a congressional hearing, alleging dangerous cuts to instruction as the Trump administration races to expand ICE's ranks.
Graduating Agents Without Proper Knowledge
Ryan Schwank, who served as an ICE lawyer and training instructor from 2021 until his resignation earlier this month, warned 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 who do not have the training to recognize an unlawful order."
"That should scare everyone," Schwank told congressional Democrats on Monday. "Deficient training can and will get people killed. It can and will lead to unlawful arrests, violations of constitutional rights and fundamental loss of public trust in law enforcement."
Substantial Training Cuts Alleged
According to Schwank's testimony and documents released by Democrats, the agency has cut approximately 240 hours from its previously 548-hour training program. Classes on firearms training, safe weapons handling, constitutional law, and protester rights were among those reduced or eliminated.
Furthermore, incoming agents are now required to complete only nine practical examinations to graduate, down from 25 exams listed on a 2021 syllabus. Previous exams on pistol shooting and determining legal removability from the United States were absent from an October 2025 syllabus.
Rapid Expansion Under One Big Beautiful Bill
The allegations come as the Trump administration implements its signature One Big Beautiful Bill domestic spending package, which allocated an unprecedented $165 billion to the Department of Homeland Security. Part of this funding aims to hire 10,000 new ICE agents, with the administration offering large cash bonuses and perks to accelerate recruitment.
While there have been anonymous internal complaints about new recruits with poor physical fitness and scant training, Schwank's claims represent some of the most serious public criticisms from a former official.
DHS Defends Training Changes
The Department of Homeland Security has strongly pushed back against Schwank's allegations. In a statement to The Independent, the agency asserted that "new ICE recruits receive 56 days of training and an average of 28 days of on-the-job training."
"No training requirements have been removed," DHS stated. "Training increased from five days a week, eight hours a day to six days a week, twelve hours per day. It is the same hours of training officers have always received."
The administration claims it has streamlined portions of the training program to "cut redundancy" and incorporate new technologies without "sacrificing basic subject matter content." DHS maintains that agents continue to receive instruction on civil rights and the U.S. Constitution as an "integral component" of their training.
Funding and Capacity Concerns
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers with $750 million, more than doubling its annual resources to enhance training for Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, and ICE personnel. DHS stated that "FLETC is prepared to accommodate 12,000 new hires this year."
However, Schwank's allegations emerge as DHS faces heavy scrutiny. Democrats have halted funding for the agency as part of efforts to impose new restrictions on immigration enforcement, following military-style deportation campaigns in cities including Minneapolis, where agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens.
Previous Anonymous Complaints
Schwank had previously raised complaints anonymously to Congress, alleging that ICE claims authority to forcibly enter private property without judicial warrants to execute deportation orders. DHS has countered that it issues administrative warrants based on probable cause for arrest, asserting that those targeted have already received "full due process and a final order of removal."
The whistleblower's public testimony adds significant weight to concerns about whether ICE's rapid expansion is compromising essential training for agents who wield substantial authority over individuals' rights and safety.
