Congressional Dish CD334: Untrained and Unwarranted
Mar 16, 2026
Steve Bunnell, former DHS general counsel and career federal prosecutor, and Ryan Schwenk, a former ICE attorney and academy instructor turned whistleblower, discuss alarming ICE practices. They outline alleged training cuts, warrantless home entries via administrative memos, and systemic policy failures. Short, urgent conversations highlight legal and procedural conflicts surrounding home raids.
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Academy Cuts Left Cadets Undertrained
- DHS gutted ICE Academy curriculum, cutting 240 hours from a 584-hour program and removing core topics like use of force and constitutional law.
- Ryan Schwenk testified cadets now graduate without practical testing, legal instruction, or firearms hours, creating unsafe officers.
Practical Testing Removed So Cadets Can't Fail
- ICE replaced closed-book multiple-choice and rigorous practical exams with open-book tests and largely eliminated scenario-based practicals.
- Schwenk said failing practicals no longer prevents graduation, so trainees who perform dangerously still enter the field.
Training Scenarios Show Dangerous Behavior
- Schwenk described cadets drawing guns on each other, arresting non-criminals in scenarios, and pepper-spraying bystanders during training.
- One cadet said they acted that way because 'I've seen what we're doing in Minneapolis.'