Immigration officers seem to be trained to be 'nasty, mean and cruel,' Schumer says [View all]
Source: Politico
02/15/2026 11:52 AM EST
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday questioned the Department of Homeland Security’s training of immigration officers, calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement a “rogue force.”
“They’re almost trained, it looks like, to be nasty and mean and cruel and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do,” the New York Democrat told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “They need to be reined in and they need to stop the violence,” Schumer added.
Schumer’s comments come after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security without extensive changes to ICE and Customs and Border Protection following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month. Their demands include strengthening warrant requirements, unmasking federal immigration officers and ending roving patrols.
Congressional Republicans and the White House have largely rejected the demands, arguing things like unmasking agents could lead to an increase in doxxing officers. But Schumer on Sunday said the argument “makes no sense.” “Every other police department in America is unmasked. ICE can do the same,” he told host Jake Tapper.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/15/immigration-officers-trained-to-be-nasty-mean-and-cruel-says-schumer-00782629
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