The Washington Post obtained records in March 2026 proving ICE cut 40% of its basic training program — from 580 hours to approximately 340 hours — amid a hiring spree to speed up deportation efforts. The records corroborate whistleblower Ryan Schwank's earlier testimony about dangerous training reductions.
Firearms training was cut in half, from 56 hours to 28 hours. Legal skills testing was also slashed. Over 900 officers completed the shortened training and were deployed to field offices. Graduation rates dropped from approximately 80% to 60%, meaning even with dramatically lowered standards, 4 in 10 recruits couldn't pass.
The cuts were made to meet Stephen Miller's aggressive deportation targets. The result is agents with half the firearms training and reduced legal knowledge being sent to conduct armed enforcement operations in American communities.
This is how people get killed. Undertrained agents with guns, inadequate legal knowledge, and pressure to hit quotas is a recipe for exactly the kind of incidents that have already occurred — including the killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.