- A whistleblower complaint from a senior ICE veteran claimed that President Donald Trump's fast-tracked recruitment process posed “grave national security risks” through unvetted candidate hires, according to the New York Times.
- Standards were drastically lowered to recruit roughly 12,000 agents, with background checks, fingerprinting, and polygraph tests bypassed or delayed before making job offers, he said.
- Academy training was reportedly reduced from 10 weeks to six, with another whistleblower alleging cadets were given unlawful orders to enter homes without warrants.
- Public scrutiny intensified after several fatal shootings involving new agents, including one whose ex-wives claimed ICE failed to vet his history of domestic violence.
- ICE has now scrapped the fast-track six-week training programme, reverting to 72 days of training alongside required follow-on courses for existing recruits.
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