(Video is 6 min., 43 seconds long.)
Most people probably missed this crucial testimony by Ryan Schwank, former Assistant Chief Counsel for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor. He testified at a Congressional forum held earlier this year about rights violations and deficiencies in training of ICE agents.
Mr. Schwank was an insider at ICE who had a close-up view of the changes that occurred at the agency under the second Trump administration.
Mr. Schwank started working at ICE on August 1, 2021, as Assistant Chief Counsel. His duties included representing ICE in proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review. He was an onsite legal advisor to the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. In 2025, he became an Instructor for the incoming “surge” of new ICE recruits at the ICE Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. As an ICE Academy instructor, Mr. Schwank was responsible for teaching the legal curriculum to recruits.
Mr. Schwank resigned from his position at ICE on February 13, 2026. He testified that resigning allowed him to continue to follow the oath he took to uphold the U.S. Constitution prior to beginning his job, and that resigning allowed him to give this testimony to Congress on February 23, 2026.
Everyone needs to hear this important testimony.