February 18, 2026

ICYMI: New Dems Probe Department of Homeland Security on Lax ICE and CBP Training

Last week, 28 members of the New Democrat Coalition, led by NDC Leadership Member Andrea Salinas (OR-06), sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanding answers about the training ICE and CBP agents receive. The letter follows multiple reports that raise serious concerns over these agencies’ training standards, including policies on deescalation and the use of force.

Since last September, there have been at least 40 examples of ICE agents using chokeholds, which are federally banned due to the high potential for deadly consequences. In the past month alone, federal enforcement officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, bringing the total to 12 people shot by ICE and CBP agents since September. These egregious actions are unacceptable and point to enforcement problems within ICE and CBP beyond poor judgment of individual agents.

The letter reads in part:

“Although Acting Director Lyons has said that he has not lowered the training threshold for ICE agents, there is substantial evidence that contradicts this claim. Specifically, it has been reported that the training for ICE agents was significantly reduced... Other shortcuts have also been reported, including an error with ICE’s AI tool that incorrectly identified applications with previous law enforcement officer experience. As a result, around 200 new ICE agents were sent to field offices without proper training. In another incident, new hires showed up for training despite failing to complete the agency’s full vetting process.“

Americans deserve to learn the truth, and they deserve robust oversight of federal agencies using lethal force against U.S. citizens. The letter asks multiple oversight questions to demand accountability and transparency in order to deliver the truth Americans deserve.

You can read the full letter here, and below:

Dear Secretary Noem, Acting Director Lyons, and Commissioner Scott:

We the undersigned, who are all members of the New Democrat Coalition, are writing to request answers from Secretary Noem, Acting Director Lyons, and Commissioner Scott about the training that ICE and CBP agents receive. This request follows a flurry of reports that ICE and CBP agents are using dangerous practices and violating the law.

In August 2025, ICE officials said that newly hired ICE agents without a background in law enforcement receive training for six days a week for eight weeks at the Federal Law Enforcement Center in Georgia. This includes training on using firearms, deescalation techniques to prevent the use of force, and twelve hours learning about the Fourth Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. They also learn when they are permitted to enter someone’s house, and how to decide if someone can be removed from the country.

Although Acting Director Lyons has said that he has not lowered the training threshold for ICE agents, there is substantial evidence that contradicts this claim. Specifically, it has been reported that the training for ICE agents was significantly reduced, and agents are no longer required to learn Spanish for five weeks. Other shortcuts have also been reported, including an error with ICE’s AI tool that incorrectly identified applications with previous law enforcement officer experience. As a result, around 200 new ICE agents were sent to field offices without proper training. In another incident, new hires showed up for training despite failing to complete the agency’s full vetting process.

Additionally, ICE agents have demonstrated egregious practices that point to a larger issue beyond poor judgment from individual agents. On September 25, 2025, a video captured an ICE agent dropping his gun and then proceeding to point it at bystanders. Additionally, there have been at least 40 examples of ICE agents using chokeholds, which are federally banned due to the high potential for deadly consequences. Moreover, a report from October 16, 2025, found at least 170 incidents of ICE detaining U.S. citizens, including over 20 citizens who were held for more than a day. And since September 2025, ICE and CBP officers have shot twelve people, resulting in the death of four people. This is simply unacceptable.

Although we are just beginning 2026, there have already been more than a handful of incidents that have shocked the country. On January 7, 2026, ICE shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, and then prohibited a doctor who was near the scene from coming to her aid. She later died. On January 20, 2026, ICE agents used a five-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, as bait in an attempt to lure other family members to come outside their home. ICE agents later detained him alongside his father. Additionally, on January 13, 2026, ICE agents violently detained two U.S. citizens who were working at Target. And most recently, CBP agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who worked at the VA, after claiming that he “approached” agents with a gun. Video evidence shows that Mr. Pretti never had a gun in his hand, only a phone.

It is not just our constituents who are concerned about the conduct of ICE and CBP officers. Just recently, leaders from several Minnesota law enforcement agencies expressed their concern about the lack of oversight and accountability of ICE agents. One police chief disclosed that ICE agents “boxed in” an off-duty officer while she was driving and demanded documentation proving that she was a U.S. citizen. This is incredibly reckless behavior that undermines public trust in local law enforcement and local law enforcement’s ability to keep their communities safe. Given the significant number of reports of ICE and CBP agents using abusive tactics, the American people deserve to know if these egregious violations of citizen and immigrants’ rights are a direct result of inadequate training or a reflection of ICE and CBP’s policies and directives. Therefore, we request your answers to the following questions:

  1. Since 2024, have ICE and CBP reduced the length of training for their agents?
    1. How long is the training period for newly hired agents without a law enforcement background and for agents with a law enforcement background?
    2. Are these trainings in person or virtual?
  2. Since December 2024, have there been changes to the training materials?
  3. Are ICE and CBP agents required to receive training on constitutional rights?
    1. How long is this training? Which parts of the U.S. Constitution are covered?
  4. Do ICE and CBP agents receive training on deescalation, use of force, and banned chokeholds?
    1. If yes, how much time is spent on each of these topics and what is included in these trainings?
  5. Do ICE and CBP agents receive training on interactions with children?
    1. If yes, what is the content of this training?
  6. Are ICE and CBP agents trained on gun safety best practices including when there are crowds and unarmed people?
    1. If yes, please describe what is included in these trainings.
  7. Do ICE and CBP agents receive any training for interactions with Native Americans?
    1. If agents do not receive this training, please explain why.
  8. Do ICE and CBP agents continue to attend trainings after they are hired?
    1. If yes, what is the cadence of these trainings and examples of content?
  9. At training, do ICE and CBP agents pledge that they will follow the U.S. Constitution?
  10. Do ICE and CBP agents receive training on the difference between administrative and judicial warrants?
    1. What is included in this training?
  11. Are ICE and CBP agents trained on how to detain someone while mitigating injuries to the detainee?
  12. Are there any disciplinary measures in place for agents who do not abide by ICE and CBP policies and codes of conduct?
  13. During training, are ICE and CBP agents informed of specific disciplinary measures they could face?
  14. Do agents receive training on interacting with pregnant women?
    1. If yes, please describe the training that they receive.
    2. If agents do not receive this training, please explain why.
  15. Do agents receive training on interacting with people with disabilities?
    1. If yes, please describe the training that they receive.
    2. If agents do not receive this training, please explain why.
  16. What training do ICE and CBP agents receive in interacting with local law enforcement?
    1. If they do not receive this training, please explain why.
  17. Before placing someone in handcuffs, how are agents taught to confirm if someone is a U.S. citizen?
  18. Are ICE and CBP agents instructed to wear masks?
  19. Are agents trained on managing their emotions during stressful situations and not immediately using excessive force?
  20. There have been videos of ICE and CBP agents saying that they suspect someone may not be in the country legally because they have an accent. Is this taught to ICE and CBP agents during training?
  21. Are ICE and CBP agents taught to perform basic life saving measures, such as CPR, on individuals who have been injured by an agent?

We look forward to receiving detailed answers to our questions by Friday, February 27, 2026. Thank you for your time.

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