Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Monday, February 23, 2026

A former instructor for ICE at FLETC Georgia testified to Congress that the agency dramatically slashed training standards for new officers and then lied to Congress about it as the Trump administration seeks to rapidly expand its mass deportation operation.

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"Ryan Schwank, who resigned from his job at an ICE academy in Georgia last week, told congressional Democrats at a hearing that the agency eliminated 240 hours of "vital classes" from a mandatory 580-hour training program, including instruction about the legal boundaries for the use of force, how to safely handle firearms, and the proper way to detain and arrest immigrants.

"Law enforcement is a deadly serious business. It is not a place for shortcuts," Schwank said. "Deficient training can and will get people killed. ... ICE is lying to Congress and the American people about the steps it is taking to ensure that 12,000 officers can faithfully uphold the Constitution and perform their jobs."

Ahead of the hearing, Schwank provided a joint panel of House and Senate Democrats copies of internal ICE documents that he said show the extent of the cuts. The documents indicated that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia, shortened its training program from 72 days to 42 days.

Several of the lawmakers repeated calls for D/DHS Secretary Kristi L. Noem to resign or be impeached."

~snip~

As a double graduate of FLETC from decades ago (uniformed and criminal investigator), I can tell you that Constitutional Law training was stressed. In fact, we helped the "Tackleberries" in our class study with index cards before the final test. One of my friends (a former US Army Ranger and Special Forces NCO), who was already an expert with firing weapons and hand-to-hand combat, was terrified of the final exam on Constitutional Law. So, we studied together. After the test results were handed out, we looked at each other in the classroom. "Whew!" 70!" he signaled me. For the final exam where we were tested in non-compliant arrests and other mischief, the "Tacklelberries" in turn would partner up with us bookworms. "Whew! Pass!" I signaled to my friend.


Nota Bene: Thanks to Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel, the once rigorous four-month long plus FBI Academy was similarly shortened to a scant eight weeks and a college degree is no longer required. Today, enlisted US Army MPs receive more training than FBI Special Agents. If I were to apply to NYC DOI or any agency for a position, I would ask for a non-lethal sidearm and emphasize that I underwent undiluted training and not this "here's your gun and badge, go get'em cowboy training" we see today.


#1 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-02-23 11:50 PM | Reply

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