ICE Extends Immigration Officer Training from 42 to 71 Days, Citing 1,300% Rise in Assaults

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will extend its core training program for new immigration enforcement officers from 42 days to roughly 71 days, with the longer program scheduled to begin in July at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia.

An internal agency memo obtained by CBS News states that officers who completed the prior 42-day course must now complete an additional Advanced Field Officer Training Program.

The memo does not specify the length or intensity of the supplemental training. An ICE official said the changes aim to promote officer safety, operational efficiency, and compliance with laws and policies. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the revisions in a statement to CBS News.

DHS said ICE officers face a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults and cited coordinated campaigns of violence including riots outside facilities and sniper attacks. The agency is adding crowd-control measures, training for high-risk vehicle stops, a live-fire cover course, and medical training, with all added instruction tracked online and monitored closely.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin previewed the shift during testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 2.

"The training policy is going to change a little bit, because we're going to be doing crowd control and fit today's needs," Mullin told lawmakers. The shortened 42-day course was adopted during the tenure of now-ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The Trump administration moved quickly to hire and onboard 10,000 new deportation agents after ICE received a $75 billion infusion through the One Big Beautiful Bill last summer.