MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A former ICE attorney has come forward with serious allegations about the agency’s training practices.

ICE whistleblower raises concerns over training 

Ryan Schwank, a former ICE attorney, testified before a congressional panel on Monday, revealing that he received orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution. Schwank claims that ICE drastically reduced the length of its training program by nearly half, leaving recruits unprepared for their duties. 

“They ceased all of the legal instructions regarding the use of force,” he said. “This means that cadets are not taught what it means to be objectively reasonable.”

Schwank told the panel that he resigned on Feb. 13 to be able to speak publicly.

What we know:

Schwank said that many recruits lacked a basic understanding of their responsibilities before being sent out with a gun and badge. He expressed concern that cadets could not demonstrate a solid grasp of tactics or the law required for their roles.

Homeland Security officials refute whistleblower’s claims

Homeland Security officials pushed back against Schwank’s claims, denying that training hours had been cut. Officials said officers receive extensive firearm training, de-escalation tactics and comprehensive instruction on the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.

What they’re saying:

In a statement, Homeland Security emphasized that new agents also receive on-the-job training, which is tracked and monitored.

The hearing also touched on the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, as well as the case of Garrison Gibson, a Liberian immigrant whose arrest was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. His wife, Teyana Gibson Brown, recounted the traumatic experience of ICE officers breaking into their home.

Dropkick Murphys have announced a free Minneapolis acoustic concert/fundraiser playing tribute to Alex Pretti and Renée Good.

The show is set for March 6th at 1 p.m. near the site where Alex Pretti was killed by ICE agents near Eat Street, which has become a site of tribute and mourning for the Minneapolis community. Dropkick Murphys will perform an acoustic set before their full concert later that night in St. Paul, and other local artists are set to perform, as well.

Get Dropkick Murphys Tickets Here

“We are so proud of how Minnesota stood up and met this moment and we are so sad for the community and for the Pretti and Good families for what they’ve gone through, so it is an honor to come down and be able to play some music for the people and let them know we stand in solidarity with them,” said Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey in a press release.

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Casey and the band have been outspoken against ICE, recently re-working an older song into the protest anthem “Citizen I.C.E.,” an inclusion on a new split EP. Casey was also seen protesting in Boston alongside labor unions shortly after the death of Pretti.

The band’s stop in Minneapolis comes near the end of its US tour, which culminates with a St. Patrick’s Day residency in Boston, with tickets available here. See our review and photo gallery of their recent show in Port Chester, New York.

See the poster for the “Abolish ICE” fundraising concert below.

Motorists who take Interstate 394 in and out of Minneapolis are in for some major changes starting Sunday night.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) says the changes are all a part of a two-year project to repair and improve the roadway.

Those changes include shutting down the Penn Avenue bridge over the interstate through November, as well as reducing and closing lanes in both directions.

Other changes include:

• Westbound I-394 will be reduced to two lanes between downtown Minneapolis and Highway 100 through mid-summer.
• There will be intermittent lane closures on I-394 and I-94 in both directions through November.
• Westbound I-394 to Park Place Boulevard/Xenia Avenue, eastbound I-94 to westbound I-394, Lyndale Avenue to westbound I-394, and westbound I-394 to/from Penn Avenue ramps will be closed through mid-summer.

Additionally, I-394 will close in both directions between Highway 100 and I-94 in downtown Minneapolis starting Friday, Feb. 27, at 10 p.m. and wrapping up on March 5 at 5 a.m.

A map of the roadway is below; more information from MnDOT can be found by CLICKING HERE.