Following the death of a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis on January 7th, questions are being asked about how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are trained.
A report from August 2025 said that ICE had cut training time for new officers by about half. They used to get around five months of training, but that was reduced, partly by getting rid of Spanish language classes.
According to the report, academy training was shortened to just 47 days. Some officials said this number was chosen because Trump was the 47th president. The training now runs for eight weeks, six days a week.
When asked about the shorter training, a Homeland Security official said that the training for officers is eight weeks long. They also said that ICE is always checking and improving its training programs, and that they have made the training more efficient by cutting out things that were repeated and adding new technology.
The official stated that they haven’t cut out any important subjects, and candidates still learn the same things and meet the same standards. Language classes have been replaced with translation services that can be used for many languages.
ICE is also creating a new on-the-job training program that will be required for all new hires. They want new officers to use what they learn in training in real-life situations.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the ICE officer who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis “followed his training.” She has been criticized for sending agents to cities in operations that some consider to be for show.
The day before the shooting, the Homeland Security X account posted “GOOD MORNING MINNEAPOLIS!” to announce the arrival of the officers. One ICE official said they love this kind of behavior.
Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on January 7th. She was in her car when she was confronted by ICE agents. As she moved the car forward, an agent shot into the car several times, killing her. The shooting was filmed from different angles.
After the shooting, Homeland Security called Good a “domestic terrorist” on X, and said that the ICE agents acted in self-defense.
Good’s mother said that her daughter’s death was “so stupid” and that she was “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.” She said that her daughter was caring, forgiving, and loving.
ICE agents are also accused of not giving Good medical care after the shooting.
A video shows a man who said he was a doctor asking to check Good’s pulse, but he was not allowed. One agent said they didn’t care, and another said that medics were on the way. However, no one is seen helping Good in the video.
On January 8th, news sources reported that Minnesota investigators said the FBI is not giving them access to evidence and is refusing to work with them on the investigation.
