Former ICE instructor testifies agency cut training on constitutional rights
Feb 23, 2026·Location: Washington, DC

Ryan Schwank, a former ICE instructor and attorney, testified before congressional Democrats on February 23, 2026, that the agency significantly reduced mandatory training for new recruits, including programs on constitutional rights and use of force. Schwank alleged ICE deliberately condensed or eliminated training to accelerate hiring during the Trump administration's expanded deportation operation and accused the agency of lying to Congress about these cuts. He testified that agents are being trained to violate Fourth Amendment protections by using administrative removal orders instead of judicial warrants for apprehensions. His testimony was corroborated by accounts from a Minneapolis resident who described ICE agents forcibly entering her home without a warrant in January 2026.
Timeline
Sources
- Washington Post
- Witness Testimony: Blumenthal & Robert Garcia Receive Testimony About ICE Abuses from Whistleblower, U.S. Citizen Whose Rights were Violated, & Former Top Lawyer at DHS | U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
- ICE whistleblower testifies at congressional forum
www2.startribune.com·Feb 23, 2026·archived copy
- Former ICE instructor says agency slashed training for new officers
unionleader.com·Feb 23, 2026·archived copy
- Former ICE instructor testifies that agency slashed officer training, lied to Congress
- ICE training was slashed, records show, corroborating whistleblower claims
- s2.washingtonpost.com
- Ex-ICE instructor testifies that agency slashed officer training, lied to Congress
navprod.dailyherald.com·Feb 24, 2026·archived copy
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