By Trendsetter Tribune 
An AI error at ICE misclassified new recruits as experienced officers, sending some into field offices without proper training, raising concerns amid the agency’s nationwide surge.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is addressing a training issue affecting new recruits after an artificial intelligence tool misclassified applicants as experienced law enforcement officers, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the situation.
ICE, which aimed to add 10,000 new officers by the end of 2025, used an AI system to identify applicants with prior law enforcement experience. The tool was meant to place qualified candidates into the agency’s four-week online “LEO program” for experienced officers. Applicants without prior law enforcement experience are required to complete an eight-week in-person training at ICE’s academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia. This program includes courses on immigration law, firearms handling, and physical fitness tests.
Misclassification Sends Some Recruits Into Field Offices Prematurely
Officials said the AI tool flagged résumés containing the word “officer,” even when applicants had no prior law enforcement background. Examples include compliance officers or individuals who simply expressed aspirations to work at ICE. As a result, some recruits were initially assigned to the shorter online training program instead of the full academy course.
“They were using AI to scan résumés and found out a bunch of the people who were LEOs weren’t LEOs,” one official explained.
The officials noted that ICE field offices provide additional training before new officers begin fieldwork, which may have mitigated some risks. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
Steps Taken to Address the Error
The AI misclassification was discovered in mid-fall, over a month into ICE’s recruitment surge. Officials said the agency quickly implemented manual reviews of all new hire résumés to ensure proper training. Recruits who were misclassified are now being sent to FLETC to complete the full program.
Officials said it remains unclear how many recruits were affected or whether any were deployed to field operations before completing proper training.
Surge Amid Controversy
ICE’s recruitment surge comes as the agency expands enforcement operations in cities nationwide, drawing scrutiny from local authorities and lawmakers following the death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE officer.
Minnesota alone has seen over 2,000 ICE officers deployed, resulting in more than 2,400 apprehensions since late November. The state has filed legal action seeking to remove DHS personnel from the region.
Despite officially meeting the goal of 10,000 new hires, officials acknowledged that the AI error and subsequent retraining mean the agency fell short of effectively adding 10,000 fully trained officers to the field in 2025. The agency had offered $50,000 signing bonuses to attract new recruits, funded through congressional allocations under the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Challenges Ahead
The incident underscores the challenges ICE faces in rapidly scaling its workforce while maintaining proper training and oversight. As the agency continues to increase deportation operations nationwide, officials say ensuring recruits are fully prepared remains a critical priority.