ICE officers say morale is lower under Trump than it was under Biden as they are 'pushed to breaking point'

President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, as a string of killings during immigration crackdown operations have spiked public anger against them. But despite the loyalty, ICE officers say morale in recent months has been lower than it was during the Biden administration.

According to a new report from The Washington Examiner, retired and veteran ICE officers have expressed concern at the Department of Homeland Security’s accelerated hiring process, which they claim leaves new agents poorly trained. They say the approach has proven detrimental to immigration crackdown operations, as it has angered the public, left older officers overworked, and new ones with a lack of proper training.

One ICE officer who was hired prior to this administration said “mistakes are made because [officers are] overworked,” as there is pressure from leadership to “get [new recruits] guns and badges quick.”

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“We’re being pushed to a breaking point. I don’t know where it will go, but it’s nowhere good,” a second officer told the outlet. That officer said he has been at the agency for over a decade, and the Trump administration’s policies have angered even some of his most loyal agents.

“Many on the right will think this is an attack on Trump,” he said. “I voted for Trump this time around. I believe in immigration enforcement. But man, it’s so disorganized and chaotic. I’ve talked to many officers who said that at least [former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas] showed appreciation by giving us admin leave.”

Adding to concerns about burnout are claims that agents’ time-off requests were either canceled after approval or regularly refused as the agency was operationally backlogged.

“No one is happy. If you hear Tom Homan saying, ‘Morale’s stronger than ever,’ I say, ‘No, it’s not. No, it’s not.’ I see it. I’ve been out in the field. I see it. I’ve seen senior officers quit,” the first officer told the Examiner.

Possible lack of training and background checks

According to the report, officers and supervisors hired before 2025 have expressed concerns that newer hires are not completing required training and have not completed the necessary federal background checks.

“A supervisor with the fugitive operations unit expressed frustration at how many teams are filled with officers who haven’t even cleared background and don’t have a security clearance. It’s not safe,” the first officer said.

“Some backgrounds take 3-6 months, so the person could have graduated and be working at a field office before their full clearance gets granted or denied,” another official explained.

Training and morale concerns have come into the spotlight after an increase in violence from federal agents that has led to the deaths of several migrants.

In one particularly chilling instance, David Brouillette, the ICE agent who killed a Colombian migrant last week in Maine during a traffic stop, has been revealed to have had a severely violent past. So much so that even his former partners were shocked when he told them he had recently been hired by the agency to carry out immigration enforcement operations.

A recently unearthed clip, which is said to have been recorded on Nov. 28, 2025, allegedly shows Brouillette yelling at his wife, insulting other female members of her family, and threatening to slit her throat.

“Every single female is nothing but a disgusting, fat [expletive],” he allegedly told his ex-wife. “All of you should have your [expletive] throats cut. Yeah, you should.”

The unearthed clip follows an interview with Ashley Brouillette, the federal agent’s ex-wife, in which she details a history of violence and racist beliefs. She said she found out that her ex-husband was the officer responsible for the killing of Joan Duran Guerrero in Maine after he asked her to vouch for his character.

“He asked me to basically talk good in his character, not to talk bad about him. And if I couldn't not talk bad about him, then just not to talk at all to anybody," she told NPR. "And I told him that I was not going to lie for him. He asked me not to talk about the abuse in our marriage. And I told him again I was not going to lie for him."

Ashley Brouillette said she had known David since they were preteens. They were married from 2007 to 2009, a time in which she says he already exhibited signs of violence.

“There was an incident where we had been fighting, and I walked away and I got in the shower, and he comes in with a gun and pointed at me and tells me that he's going to blow my brains all over the bathtub,” she said.

David Brouillette has not commented on the allegations, and there are no police reports to corroborate the story. She added that she later recanted her stories after talking to authorities.

“Even though he did all these horrible things to me, in a way, he was still like my security blanket because he's all I ever known. And so I would recant my story and say he didn't do anything. And so then the police wouldn't arrest him for it," she said. "David always intimidated me. It's part of the reason why I stayed silent all these years about things that I've gone through."