Former ICE instructor testifies agency training 'broken,' recruits taught to violate Constitution

2026-02-24 - 11:22

A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement instructor delivered explosive testimony Monday before a bicameral congressional forum, alleging the agency has systematically dismantled training for new recruits while directing officers to violate constitutional protections. Ryan Schwank, who resigned February 13 after four years teaching law at the ICE Academy in Glynco, Georgia, accused the agency of cutting approximately 240 hours from the original 584-hour curriculum, eliminating essential instruction on the Fourth Amendment, lawful arrest procedures, firearms safety, and use-of-force standards including the objectively reasonable standard for deadly force . Warrantless Entry Directives and Training Reductions Schwank testified that he received orders on his first day to instruct cadets that they could enter homes without judicial warrants—a practice he described as a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment and contradictory to previous Department of Homeland Security legal training materials . He warned that new cadets are graduating despite widespread staff concerns that they "cannot demonstrate a solid grasp of the tactics or the law required to perform their jobs" . Recruits are quickly deployed to field offices with minimal supervision after brief equipment familiarization periods . Congressional Oversight and Agency Response Senator Richard Blumenthal released whistleblower documents showing ICE has eliminated over a dozen practical examinations, cut classes including "Use of Force Simulation Training," and reduced overall training hours despite aggressive graduation targets . The testimony follows fatal shootings of two American citizens in Minneapolis in January—Renee Good and Alex Pretti—which reignited accusations that agents enforcing Trump's immigration crackdown are inexperienced and operating outside law enforcement norms . DHS defended the adjustments, claiming training has been "streamlined to cut redundancy and incorporate technology advancements, without sacrificing basic subject matter content" . Department spokeswoman Lauren Bis insisted "no training hours have been cut" and that officers receive comprehensive Fourth and Fifth Amendment instruction .