Mullin says ICE training will return to ‘regular standards’
June 3 (UPI) — Markwayne Mullin, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will have to undergo more than 500 hours of training again, a return to the amount the department originally required.
“We had to rewrite the curriculum,” Mullin told members ofthe House Homeland Security Committee. “All training starting July 1 will be back up to the regular standards.”
News agencies first reported in early May that this change might be on the way. In fall 2025, ICE cut training for its officers from 584 hours to 336 hours, a move that came as part of a hiring push that brought in hundreds of new ICE agents. Senate Democrats released documents showing the cuts earlier this year, The New York Times reported.
The cuts were criticized by Democrats and some others, as critics said recruits did not receive enough training on how to handle firearms, First Amendment rights or other issues. Many people have called for ICE to be reformed or abolished, especially after ICE agents killed two U.S. citizens in January in Minneapolis. Then, in February, the Times reported, a former ICE attorney publicly criticized the changes in training at a forum in Washington, D.C.
“For the last five minutes, I watched ICE dismantle the training program,” Ryan Schwank said. “Cutting 240 hours of vital classes from a 584-hour program — classes that teach the Constitution, our legal system, firearms training, the use of force, lawful arrests, proper detention and the limits of officers’ authority.”
The agency responded at the time by saying hours had not been cut.
Mullin also said Wednesday that he’s reviewing contracts signed by Kristi Noem, the previous secretary of the department, that may have ties to her allies, The Hill reported. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the committee, noted that Noem had signed contracts giving business to companies connected with her.
Mullin said he’d give the committee a list of any canceled contracts that hadn’t yet been signed. The department cannot nullify contacts that have been signed, but some are under review, he said.
