U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will end a shortened training program for agents first implemented under the Trump administration last year, a spokesperson confirmed to NOTUS on Wednesday.
Rather than the accelerated 42-day course, trainees will now spend 72 days at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in Glynco, Georgia, the standard before the Trump administration approved the condensed training program in an attempt to quickly increase the number of agents conducting immigration enforcement.
The revision of training protocols is part of a broader shift under White House border czar Tom Homan, who in recent weeks has ratcheted back the Trump administration’s most aggressive mass-deportation tactics.
“As we have said all along, ICE training does not end when recruits graduate from the academy. ICE officers go through a rigorous on-the-job training and mentorship,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to NOTUS. “This additional training is tracked online and monitored closely. New hires take what they learn at FLETC and apply it to real-life scenarios while on duty, preserving ICE’s reputation as one of the most elite law enforcement agencies not only in the U.S., but the entire world.”
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Politico first reported the axing of the accelerated training program, citing anonymous Department of Homeland Security officials.
Politico reported that in addition to eliminating the fast-track training, DHS plans to certify and dispatch veteran officers to work with those hired under the expedited program in the field. The outlet cited anonymous sources familiar with the department’s internal plans, noting that the training was still being finalized and the administration’s plans could change.
“Lyons and Homan promised some people on the Hill that they would take a look at it,” an administration official told the news outlet. They added that the officers hired in recent months would get the “extra 30 days of training they didn’t get before they started on the job.”
ICE originally implemented the accelerated training program for new officers in August 2025 to meet rapid hiring demands, reducing the traditional 13 weeks of academy instruction.
However, officials told The Washington Post that the new change to the training curriculum comes at a time when ICE has almost doubled its hiring efforts. The agency now has roughly 22,000 immigration officers.
Debate on Capitol Hill has been raging for months over ICE training and regulations, issues that ultimately led to a 76-day partial government shutdown that was resolved last week.
This additional training also comes at a time when Homan has threatened an ICE surge in New York similar to those seen in Los Angeles and Minneapolis.
“We’re gonna flood the zone. You’re gonna see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen before,” Homan said at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix on Tuesday.
The threat came after Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York proposed a bill that would bar police departments from partnering with federal agents on immigration enforcement.
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