The allegations come amid intense scrutiny of ICE as the Department of Homeland Security rapidly scales up deportation officers to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Rights groups and Democratic politicians have accused ICE officers of using excessive force, attacking bystanders recording their conduct, and failing to follow constitutional protections.
A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer told congressional Democrats on Monday that the agency’s training program for deportation officers is “deficient, defective and broken,” directly contradicting the Department of Homeland Security’s assertion that recruits receive full preparation for the job.
Ryan Schwank, who resigned from ICE on Feb. 13 after managing the agency’s officer training, testified that the program has been dismantled and compressed far below what DHS publicly claims. He presented documents showing that ICE has eliminated more than a dozen practical exams and cut classes including “Use of Force Simulation Training.”
“I am here because I am duty-bound to report the legally required training program at the ICE academy is deficient, defective and broken,” Schwank said at the hearing, held by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Robert Garcia of California.
The Agency’s Response and Concerns About Oversight
Schwank accused the Department of Homeland Security of dismantling the program while publicly denying it. “DHS told the public the new cadets receive all the training they need to perform their duties, that no critical material or standards have been cut. This is a lie,” Schwank said. “ICE made the program shorter, and they removed so many essential parts that what remains is a dangerous husk.”
The Department of Homeland Security disputed the allegations. “Despite false claims from the media and sanctuary politicians, no training hours have been cut,” said Lauren Bis, a DHS spokeswoman. “Our officers receive extensive firearm training, are taught de-escalation tactics, and receive Fourth and Fifth Amendment comprehensive instruction.” The department stated that ICE recruits receive 56 days of training and an average of 28 days of on-the-job training.
Schwank said the on-the-job training oversight was far thinner than the agency suggests. Many new officers go to their home offices just long enough to “get their gun, their badge and their body armor,” he said.
Age Restrictions Removed, Trainees Graduate Despite Misconduct
Schwank disclosed that ICE now hires cadets as young as 18, after the agency removed its previous requirement that recruits be at least 21. He taught cadets as young as 18 in his classes, including one who celebrated her 19th birthday in the training program.
When asked whether he had witnessed trainees use disproportionate force during training, Schwank said yes. He cited examples of trainees accidentally drawing firearms on each other, arresting people without cause, and using excessive force. Despite these incidents, he said, they graduated from the academy.
Broader Scrutiny and Whistleblower Disclosures
The testimony comes amid intense scrutiny of ICE as the Department of Homeland Security rapidly scales up the number of deportation officers to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Rights groups and Democratic politicians have accused ICE officers of using excessive force when arresting immigrants, attacking bystanders who record their conduct, and failing to follow constitutional protections.
Schwank was one of two whistleblowers who disclosed a new ICE policy that authorizes deportation officers to forcibly enter an immigrant’s home to remove them from the country without a warrant signed by a judge. Both Blumenthal and Garcia have held multiple public forums examining how ICE trains new officers and the conduct of those officers once deployed.