ICE Agents' Conduct Scrutinized as Georgia Training Center Comes Under Spotlight

Recent incidents involving ICE agents have raised questions about their training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, Georgia, has come under scrutiny as recent incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have raised questions about their training. FLETC is the primary education hub for 105 federal agencies, including ICE, and has been dubbed the "West Point of Law Enforcement." However, a whistleblower has testified about scaled-back curriculum at FLETC's Surge Operations Training Center, which was created last fall to train newly hired ICE agents as part of the Trump administration's deportation campaign.

Why it matters

The recent incidents involving ICE agents, such as the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis and a traffic-stop-turned-tragic in Savannah, have sparked protests and raised concerns about the training and conduct of ICE agents. FLETC, as the primary training center for federal law enforcement, is now under the spotlight as the facility where many of these agents receive their instruction.

The details

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) is a sprawling 1,600-acre facility located near Brunswick, Georgia. It was originally developed as a World War II naval base and has since become the primary education hub for 105 federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Marshals. FLETC is also the base for the Department of Homeland Security's Surge Operations Training Center, which was created last fall to train newly hired ICE agents and others as part of the Trump administration's deportation campaign. However, a whistleblower has testified that the training curriculum at the Surge Operations Training Center has been scaled back from 584 hours over 72 days to about 335 hours over 42 days, calling the current program "deficient, defective and broken."

  • In January, demonstrators gathered near the gates of FLETC to condemn the shooting death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old killed in an altercation with ICE agents.
  • Earlier this week, an ICE trainer-turned-whistleblower testified before a congressional committee about the scaled-back curriculum at FLETC's Surge Operations Training Center.

The players

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)

A sprawling 1,600-acre facility located near Brunswick, Georgia, that serves as the primary education hub for 105 federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Marshals.

Surge Operations Training Center

A training center created by the Department of Homeland Security last fall to train newly hired ICE agents and others as part of the Trump administration's deportation campaign.

Ryan Schwank

A former ICE trainer who testified before a congressional committee about the scaled-back curriculum at FLETC's Surge Operations Training Center.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

What’s next

The congressional committee that heard the whistleblower's testimony is expected to hold further hearings to investigate the training practices at FLETC's Surge Operations Training Center.

The takeaway

The scrutiny of ICE agents' conduct and the revelations about the scaled-back training curriculum at FLETC's Surge Operations Training Center raise concerns about the adequacy of the preparation and oversight of federal law enforcement officers, particularly those involved in high-stakes immigration enforcement operations.