ICE Whistleblower Tells Congress Training Is 'Deficient' and Accuses DHS of Misleading on Use‑of‑Force Instruction
Ryan Schwank, a former ICE lawyer and academy instructor who resigned Feb. 13 after filing a confidential complaint, told a Capitol Hill forum hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia that ICE's new‑officer training is “deficient, defective, and broken,” alleging the academy cut roughly 240–250 hours and removed practicals such as use‑of‑force simulations, judgment pistol shooting, criminal‑encounter drills and certain legal instruction. He accused DHS of misleading Congress about use‑of‑force training and of secretive orders to teach warrantless home entries — claims supported by leaked syllabi released by Senate Democrats amid a rapid hiring surge of about 12,000 officers, which ICE/DHS disputes.
📌 Key Facts
- The whistleblower is Ryan Schwank, a former ICE lawyer and instructor at the federal law-enforcement academy in Glynco, Georgia, who resigned Feb. 13 after filing a confidential complaint and then testified publicly on Capitol Hill.
- Schwank testified Monday at a forum co-hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia; his full opening statement was carried by PBS and video of his testimony was aired by CBS.
- He characterized ICE’s new-officer training as "deficient, defective, and broken," and accused DHS/ICE of lying to Congress and the public about the state of use-of-force and other instruction.
- Schwank said ICE cut roughly 240 hours from what had been a 584-hour academy program and asserted new officers receive about 240–250 fewer hours than previously provided or than agency leaders have claimed.
- Senate Democrats released internal ICE documents, including syllabi and daily schedules, showing recruits receive significantly fewer hours and that specific required classes were removed — cited examples include Use of Force Simulation Training, judgment pistol shooting and other practicals, and legal instruction on criminal vs. removal proceedings.
- Schwank alleges he received secretive orders to teach cadets to enter homes without judicial warrants, which he described as training to violate the Constitution.
- ICE/DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis disputed the claims, saying training hours have not been reduced and that officers receive extensive firearms, de-escalation, and Fourth- and Fifth-Amendment instruction; concerns about training shortfalls are heightened by the administration’s rapid hiring (more than 12,000 new ICE officers in the past year) and recent deadly incidents in which ICE agents have shot and killed U.S. citizens.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 25, 2026
12:42 AM
WATCH: Whistleblower and former ICE attorney calls agent training 'deficient, defective and broke'
New information:
- PBS carries Ryan Schwank’s opening statement in full and confirms the venue: a forum hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia.
- Schwank gives a concrete figure: he says ICE has cut 240 hours of vital classes from what had been a 584‑hour academy program.
- He alleges that on his first day at the Georgia academy he received 'secretive orders' to teach new cadets to enter homes without judicial warrants, characterizing that as training them to violate the Constitution.
- PBS links his allegations directly to the Trump administration’s rapid hiring of more than 12,000 new ICE officers in the past year, more than doubling the force.
February 24, 2026
2:04 PM
Shocking accusations on "defective" ICE training and alleged DHS lies
New information:
- CBS aired video of Ryan Schwank’s actual Capitol Hill testimony in which he labels ICE’s new‑officer training 'defective' and reiterates that the academy’s program is 'deficient, defective, and broken.'
- Schwank explicitly alleges that DHS has not told the truth about the state of ICE use‑of‑force training, accusing the department of lying about what classes are being provided.
- The segment confirms Schwank appeared in person before lawmakers, moving his claims from planned testimony to an executed, on‑the‑record oversight event.
1:41 AM
ICE whistleblower warns new recruits are receiving "defective" training
New information:
- CBS adds that the whistleblower, described as a former ICE instructor, warned lawmakers that rapid efforts to increase ICE ranks will result in new recruits being deployed 'without the proper training to do the job.'
- The piece confirms the testimony took place Monday afternoon in a public Capitol Hill setting and that CBS reviewed and summarized his claims for a national audience.
- CBS frames the training shortfalls explicitly as 'defective' training in the context of putting armed agents 'on the street,' emphasizing operational risk rather than just curriculum disputes.
February 23, 2026
6:44 PM
ICE whistleblower comes forward to testify before Congress
New information:
- Identifies the whistleblower by name as Ryan Schwank, an ICE academy legal instructor who resigned Feb. 13 and will testify Monday at a congressional forum co‑hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia.
- Details Schwank’s prepared testimony language that ICE is 'lying to Congress and the American people' and that training is now 'deficient, defective, and broken.'
- Connects the alleged training cuts directly to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons’ prior congressional testimony, asserting new officers actually receive about 250 fewer hours than Lyons claimed.
- Provides more specific examples from the leaked syllabus: elimination of 'judgment pistol shooting' and 'criminal encounters' practicals, 'use of force simulation training,' and legal instruction on 'criminal vs. removal proceedings.'
- Explicitly situates the whistleblower’s claims against the backdrop of the Minneapolis killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the perjury probe into two ICE officers, framing his warnings as tied to recent deadly incidents.
6:31 PM
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New information:
- Names and quotes the whistle‑blower as Ryan Schwank, a former ICE lawyer turned instructor at the federal law‑enforcement academy in Glynco, Georgia, who resigned Feb. 13 after filing a confidential complaint about a new ICE policy allowing warrantless home entries.
- Details that Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released several dozen pages of internal ICE documents, including syllabi and daily schedules, showing recruits now receive 'significantly fewer hours' of training than before President Trump’s hiring surge.
- Reports that specific required classes appear to have been cut from the ICE basic‑training syllabus, including 'Use of Force Simulation Training' and additional courses on immigration law and ICE’s legal authorities.
- Notes that ICE/DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis disputes the claims, insisting in a statement that training hours have not been reduced and that officers receive extensive firearms, de‑escalation, and Fourth‑ and Fifth‑Amendment instruction.
- Connects the training changes to a context in which ICE agents have shot and killed at least three U.S. citizens in the past year, as Trump has ordered immigration officers into major American cities, raising fears that under‑trained new recruits will fuel more violent encounters.