A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer has claimed that ICE supervisors are teaching “new cadets to violate the Constitution.” Ryan Schwank joined ICE in 2021 and resigned in February 2026 after being assigned to teach at the agency’s academy in Georgia. “On my first day, I received secretive orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution by entering homes without a judicial warrant,” Schwank said. He added that the agency eliminated 240 hours of “vital classes” from the mandatory 580-hour training program, including instruction on the legal boundaries for the use of force. He also noted that the agency removed instructions on safe firearm handling and the proper procedures for detaining and arresting immigrants. Schwank described the academy’s training program as “deficient, defective, and broken,” while the Trump administration accelerates efforts to expand the agency. He said that he resigned so he could testify before Congress at a recent forum organized by Democratic lawmakers to address DHS misconduct. Senate Democrats have released dozens of pages of internal ICE records indicating that the Trump administration has reduced the agency’s basic training. Schwank’s account highlights growing concerns about the conduct of federal agents, who have shot and killed at least three US citizens in the past year.
