Oregon Rep. Salinas led a letter asking DHS officials about training for immigration agents, citing reports of incidents involving force.
OREGON, USA — Rep. Andrea Salinas and 27 colleagues requested information Tuesday about training standards for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents.
The Oregon Democrat led a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott asking about training requirements, firearms instruction, de-escalation techniques and interactions with children and vulnerable populations.
The letter references reports of incidents involving immigration agents and requests answers to 14 questions by Feb. 27.
According to the letter, ICE officials said in August 2025 that newly hired agents without law enforcement backgrounds receive eight weeks of training at the Federal Law Enforcement Center in Georgia, including instruction on firearms, de-escalation and 12 hours on the Fourth Amendment and immigration law.
The letter cites reports that ICE training was reduced and that Spanish language instruction was eliminated. It also references reports that approximately 200 new ICE agents were sent to field offices without completing full training due to an error with an AI screening tool.
The lawmakers requested information on whether training length has been reduced since 2024, whether agents receive constitutional rights training, and whether they attend ongoing training after being hired.
The letter includes descriptions of several incidents in 2026 involving immigration agents, including shootings and detentions.
Salinas represents Oregon’s 6th Congressional District. The letter was signed by 27 members of the New Democrat Coalition.