U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently removed a long-standing five-week Spanish language training program requirement for new recruits.
The removal of the requirement, which was confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, reflects both collapsing non-English government services and the softening of qualifications to become an immigration agent.
“This is consistent with DHS under this administration,” said Scott Shuchart, a former ICE assistant director under the Biden administration, “lowering hiring standards to prioritize getting warm bodies behind masks and guns, rather than getting qualified and vetted people into a job that can be dangerous and demands real training and skill.”
Though ICE doesn’t release information on languages spoken by detainees, available statistics show that the vast majority of arrestees hail from primarily Spanish-speaking countries.
On Reddit threads, people claiming to be potential ICE recruits met rumors of the change in requirement with a mix of support and disdain.
ICE is on a hiring spree following a boost of $175 million to immigration enforcement in President Donald Trump’s budget. ICE’s budget for officers is now higher than the FBI’s.
In recent months, after Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language of the U.S., government agencies have cut back on services for other languages.
Though Trump’s diktat says that nothing in the order “requires or directs any change in the services provided by any agency,” several agencies have nonetheless reduced non-English-language support. The Department of Homeland Security, for instance, will no longer provide translation services for those calling in with questions about their employment status or benefits.
