Reports: ICE to end shortened training periods

May 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will end abbreviated training programs intended to get its officers out into the streets sooner, unnamed sources familiar with the move told multiple news organizations Wednesday.

In fall 2025, ICE allegedly slashed its training from 72 days to 42 days, a move criticized by Democrats and some others as the Trump administration sought to deport large numbers of people from the country. Critics said recruits did not receive enough training on how to handle firearms or First Amendment rights, The Washington Post reported.

There have been many calls for reform in the agency as well as calls for it to be outright abolished, both of which grew after ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens in January in Minneapolis. Many others have died in ICE custody.

Homeland Security officials told news agencies The Washington Post, The Hill and Politico that ICE will return to the longer training period as of July 1. The move is due to a surge in hiring for ICE that will double the number of agents to about 22,000, the officials said. It also comes as new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says he'll restore public confidence in the agency.

The department, which has denied it ever shortened the training, did not officially confirm the change Wednesday.

"ICE officers go through a rigorous on-the-job training mentorship," a representative said. "As we have said all along, ICE training does not end when recruits graduate from the academy."

Homeland security also plans to "certify and dispatch" veteran officers to the field to give those with the abbreviated training more instruction, Politico reported. The news agency noted that the training is being finalized and plans could change.

Mullin also has said he will require ICE officers to get judicial warrants before entering private homes, a change from prior ICE activities. Mullin took over from fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March.

The Washington Post previously reported that a former ICE trainer has accused the agency of cutting training and lying about it to lawmakers. The trainer said ICE cut instruction about the "legal boundaries for the use of force, how to safely handle firearms and the proper way to detain and arrest immigrants," the Post reported.

ICE training takes place at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 5:46 PM.