Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will increase training for new officers starting next month, addressing concerns that the agency had lowered standards to quickly deploy more deportation personnel.
During a heated congressional hearing on Wednesday, Mullin was questioned about media reports indicating that the training requirement for new recruits had been shortened from 72 days to 42 days. In response, he confirmed that from July 1, training would revert to the original 72-day schedule.
“July 1st. We bring it back up. We had to rewrite the curriculum. All training starting July 1st will be back up to the regular standards,” Mullin stated. He did not elaborate on the reasons for the change or address previous criticism of the truncated program.
The training overhaul came as ICE sought to hire and train an additional 10,000 deportation officers following a multibillion-dollar funding injection from Congress last summer. At that time, the agency had roughly 6,500 officers. Critics accused Homeland Security and ICE of cutting corners, allegations the departments repeatedly denied.
In February, former ICE lawyer Ryan Schwank, who oversaw training for new deportation officers, warned that the program was “deficient, defective and broken.” Speaking at a Democratic forum, Schwank accused the department of dismantling the training, shortening it, and misleading the public.
“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,” Schwank said. “This is a lie. ICE made the program shorter, and they removed so many essential parts that what remains is a dangerous husk.”
ICE and Homeland Security officials rejected claims that recruits were inadequately trained. In response to Schwank’s testimony, Homeland Security stated that officers received firearms training, de-escalation tactics, and instruction on the Constitution, insisting no training hours were cut.
During a tour of the ICE training facility in Georgia last August, acting ICE director Todd Lyons acknowledged changes to streamline the process but denied any reduction in quality. Agency officials noted that training at the federal center was increased to six days a week, with additional pre- and post-arrival sessions, and the removal of a Spanish language requirement.
