US ICE officer training reduced to 47 days

Introduction

Concerns about the training standards of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have resurfaced following the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis earlier this month. The incident has sparked renewed debate over whether ICE officer training has been dramatically shortened under the Trump administration and what impact such changes may have on agent preparedness and public safety.

Minneapolis Shooting Brings Training Into Focus

On January 7, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman who was seated in her car. The officer involved, Jonathan Ross, has since been identified as a long-serving ICE deportation officer with nearly a decade of experience.

While investigators have urged caution as the case remains under review, the shooting has intensified scrutiny of ICE’s current training practices—especially amid claims that new recruits are receiving significantly less instruction than in previous years.

Claims Made by Senator Mark Warner

During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Democratic Senator Mark Warner stated that ICE training had been reduced from roughly five months to just 47 days, while the agency was simultaneously expanding its workforce.

“They are not getting the traditional five months of training,” Warner said. “The training for ICE agents now is 47 days.”

Warner repeated this claim in multiple media interviews, arguing that accelerated hiring and shortened preparation could affect operational readiness.

Has ICE Training Actually Been Shortened?

The Trump administration has acknowledged that training timelines have been adjusted but disputes some of the figures circulating in public debate.

What reporting shows:

The Atlantic reported in August that ICE academy training was reduced to 47 days, citing unnamed officials.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) countered that training lasts eight weeks, with six training days per week.
Eight weeks of six-day instruction equals 48 training days, broadly aligning with Warner’s claim.

However, DHS has declined to provide consistent clarification on whether training has been reduced further in recent months.

📊 ICE Officer Training Comparison

Training Element	Previous Standard	Current Reported Standard
Total Duration	~5 months	6–8 weeks
Law Enforcement Training	16 weeks	Reduced
Language Training	5 weeks (Spanish)	Removed
Weekly Schedule	5 days/week	6 days/week
Total Training Days	~100+ days	47–48 days

Conflicting Reports Add to Confusion

Different media outlets have cited varying figures:

NBC News reported ICE training was shortened from 13 weeks to 8 weeks, and later to 6 weeks
Government Executive stated training had been cut from six months to “around six weeks”
A DHS official told People magazine that training remains eight weeks, without specifying the total number of days

As of now, neither ICE nor DHS has publicly clarified whether the training duration has been formally reduced below eight weeks following the Minneapolis incident.

Officer Involved Had Extensive Experience

Importantly, the officer involved in the shooting was not a recent recruit.

According to the Associated Press:

Jonathan Ross joined ICE in 2015
He completed the older, longer training program
He later received advanced tactical training as part of ICE’s special response team
Ross previously served in the Indiana National Guard and was deployed to Iraq

This context suggests the incident cannot be directly attributed to the newer training standards.

Our Assessment

The available evidence confirms that ICE training has been significantly shortened compared with earlier standards. While the precise duration varies depending on the source, multiple credible reports place current training between six and eight weeks, translating to approximately 47–48 days.

However, the officer involved in the Minneapolis shooting completed training under the older system, and investigators have not linked the incident to reduced training requirements.

Conclusion:

The claim that ICE officer training has been reduced to around 47 days is largely accurate, but it requires context and clarification. The issue remains under review, and official confirmation from DHS is still lacking.