Inside FLETC Brunswick: How ICE Trains Recruits for Trump’s Deportation Drive

(BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA) Less than a mile from the marsh and shrimp boats, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick is running at full tilt as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rushes new classes of recruits through courses designed to meet President Trump’s 2025 deportation goals. At the heart of that push sits FLETC Brunswick, Georgia, now the administration’s main training pipeline for the largest immigration enforcement surge in modern United States history.

The goal is stark: up to 1 million deportations per year, more than triple prior peaks, backed by billions in new funds, thousands of new hires, and a playbook that reaches far beyond past practice. Officials say the program is moving fast because the administration wants scale, speed, and the ability to run complex operations in cities and small towns alike.

Training focus and campus life

Inside the campus, instructors drill recruits on immigration law, expedited removal, use-of-force rules, and tactics for large-scale arrests that could include raids near schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

• Class content includes:
  • Immigration statutes and expedited removal procedures
  • Use-of-force rules and arrest tactics
  • Logistics for large arrest days (transport, detention intake, legal processing)
  • Chain-of-custody steps and courtroom preparation

As of August 22, 2025, the facility is the primary training site not only for ICE agents and officers but also for many other federal officers who share classrooms, ranges, and dorms. Dorms are packed, schedules stretch late, and instructors rotate through extra blocks to keep classes moving.

Scale, funding, and hiring

To feed the surge, the administration secured $14.4 billion in new funding, authorized hiring of 10,000 new ICE agents, and expanded detention capacity by 80,000 beds.

• $10,000 signing bonus offered to speed recruitment
• Condensed and online training tracks approved, including a new 40-hour online curriculum for local police and sheriffs joining the revived 287(g) program
• ICE leaders set new daily arrest targets of 1,200 to 1,500

ICE leadership also fast-tracks background checks and fitness tests and is standing up regional centers to share the load with the Brunswick flagship site.

Local partnerships and 287(g) expansion

A major change is the push to expand 287(g) partnerships, which deputize local officers to help enforce federal immigration law.

• New 40-hour online curriculum trains local officers at scale
• In-person refreshers to follow at regional centers
• ICE officials say local help is essential to approach the White House target of 1 million deportations per year

Technology and incentives

The technology arm is changing as well. The CBP One app has been replaced by CBP Home, which includes a self-deportation reporting feature and offers a $1,000 stipend to people who choose to leave voluntarily.

• Officials report tens of thousands have used the app
• Privacy advocates and legal groups worry about pressure on families to make rushed decisions

Reported figures and operational reality

By the numbers:

Even with those totals, the system is far from the new annual target. The daily arrest quotas of 1,200 to 1,500 highlight how steep the climb remains.

Risks, mistakes, and collateral effects

The push has come with more collateral arrests, including people who were not original targets, and several reports of U.S. citizens briefly detained.

• Legal groups warn the wider net risks mistakes when teams move quickly
• Concerns are heightened for early-morning operations at homes with multiple families
• ICE counters that officers follow policy and that proof checks are built into the workflow

Past audits show hurried interviews and language barriers can lead to wrong calls on fear claims or citizenship. ICE says new checks, barcodes, and data tools lower the risk, but even a small error rate at scale would affect many lives.

Human side: recruits, instructors, and local impact

Recruits at Brunswick range from veterans seeking steady work to recent college graduates drawn to public service and a federal career. Instructors emphasize that mistakes carry real human costs and often involve parents of U.S. citizen children.

Local effects in Glynn County include:

• Hotels and diners busier
• Heavier traffic and tighter housing for service workers
• Practice arrests and mock checkpoints visible near campus
• Buses idling outside dorms for transport drills

Economic and community impacts

Economic effects are already visible in farm towns and job sites:

• Growers and contractors report thinned crews due to fear and sudden arrests
• Restaurant owners report shorter hours
• Construction bids rising because projects take longer
• Hospitals worry about patients skipping care

Supporters argue a tighter labor market will lead to higher wages and more U.S. workers; critics warn sudden shocks can drive small firms under and push food prices higher.

Politics, courts, and foreign relations

In Congress, GOP leaders are moving bills to add tens of billions more for detention, transport, and overtime. Some members press for offshore or military-run holding areas to ease space limits.

• Courts could shape outcomes through lawsuits challenging:
  • Breadth of expedited removal
  • Handling of collateral arrests
  • Lawfulness of using certain sites for large operations

Foreign governments have objected to mass flights and use of third countries for detention or transit. Diplomatic friction could slow cooperation on returns, travel documents, and joint policing—critical elements for successful removals.

Practical steps for people at risk

Lawyers recommend several steps that can reduce harm if arrests occur:

1. Carry valid ID, keep a written list of key phone numbers, and know a local legal aid group.
2. Make a plan for children, including consent forms for care and school pickup.
3. Save contact details for a trusted supervisor, pastor, or neighbor who can call a lawyer if needed.
4. People with old removal orders should speak to counsel about options, including potential fear claims, because expedited processes move fast and deadlines can be very short.

Carry valid ID, keep a written list of key phone numbers, know a legal aid group in your area, and make a plan for children in case a parent is held.

Recruitment pipeline and application

The pipeline runs in a tight loop: applications flow through the ICE careers portal, followed by screenings and fitness tests. Recruits report to class blocks at Brunswick and satellite sites before quick placement at field offices.

• Applicants can begin the process here: ICE Careers and Recruitment — https://www.ice.gov/careers/how-apply — which explains steps, pay bands, and eligibility.

VisaVerge.com analysis indicates the current buildout at FLETC and proposed regional centers mark the biggest training surge in ICE history. The new online modules are designed to cut months from the time between job offer and field deployment.

Oversight, documentation, and the test ahead

Instructors say they constantly stress accuracy, safety, and documentation because the tempo will be high and supervisors will have less time to review each file.

• Body-worn cameras and court records create a paper trail
• Mistakes now can affect an officer’s career for years

For the White House, the math is simple: to approach 1 million deportations per year, ICE needs more people, more beds, more flights, and more court time. The funding bill provides money for transport and detention, and new daily quotas spell out the required pace.

What remains uncertain is whether courts, foreign partners, and the agency’s own capacity will allow the numbers to climb as planned.

Closing scene: Brunswick as the training hub

Whatever the politics, FLETC Brunswick, Georgia now stands at the center of the country’s immigration system—where classroom drills and live-fire ranges feed a plan to scale removals to levels no modern administration has reached.

For immigrants and their families, the new pace produces daily effects: early alarms, heads-up texts, neighbors watching unfamiliar cars, and children asking whether a parent will be home. Workers keep pay stubs handy, families carry school records and medical cards, and many save cash for sudden travel if a loved one is transferred to a distant detention site.

The administration says these steps will restore order and deter future crossings. Opponents say the plan floods courts, risks wrongful removals, and tears at the fabric of towns with mixed-status families.

For now, the rows of recruits moving between classes tell the story best: blue uniforms in formation, mock doors on hinges for entry drills, instructors calling time, and buses idling for transport practice. Brunswick is the place where ICE is scaling up training to chase an unprecedented removal pace across the country—quickly and decisively.