Under the sweltering Brunswick, Georgia sun, a trainer guided new recruits on how to remove an injured colleague from danger. The exercise took place on August 21 at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Elsewhere, in a classroom filled with thick immigration law books, trainees learned the duties and responsibilities of a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

An ICE trainer demonstrates restraint techniques using a dummy at the training center in Brunswick, Georgia, on 21/8. Photo: AP

An ICE trainer demonstrates restraint techniques using a dummy at the training center in Brunswick, Georgia, on 21/8. Photo: AP

On the center's football field-sized firing range, littered with spent casings, about 20 ICE recruits in training attire, wearing safety glasses and ear protection, practiced shooting stances under the guidance of an instructor.

"Trainers, thumbs up when your trainee is ready," a voice announced over the loudspeaker before the group practiced drawing and firing their weapons.

In a large area with roads and a driving course, trainees learned how to handle skids on wet surfaces and navigate winding, obscured routes.

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia, trains most federal law enforcement personnel, including ICE agents, who are spearheading President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

ICE is actively recruiting, aiming to deploy thousands more agents to track down and deport unauthorized immigrants. This follows a $75 billion budget allocation from Congress, almost 10 times the agency's annual budget. Nearly $30 billion of this is earmarked for new hires.

ICE special response team agents practice raiding a house to apprehend a wanted subject at the training center. Photo: AP

ICE special response team agents practice raiding a house to apprehend a wanted subject at the training center. Photo: AP

Todd Lyons, ICE's acting director, stated the agency currently has about 6,500 deportation officers and aims to add 10,000 more by the end of the year. When asked if ICE would lower background check standards or shorten the training program, Lyons affirmed the agency's commitment to maintaining the quality of its recruits.

Caleb Vitello, ICE's assistant director for training, said new recruits undergo about eight weeks of training at the Georgia facility. The program has cut five weeks of Spanish language training as ICE agents can now use translation apps in the field.

Recruits train six days a week on the sprawling campus nestled among pine trees near the coast. Hundreds have completed training courses there in recent months.

Trainees practice shooting at the center on 21/8. Photo: AP

Trainees practice shooting at the center on 21/8. Photo: AP

Dean Wilson, the firearms training supervisor, compared some ICE operations to entering a "haunted house" where agents face unpredictable situations.

"We try our best to ensure that in that environment, they can still make sound decisions," Wilson said. "Nobody wants to be the person who misses, and nobody wants to be the person who can't go home after their shift."

Hong Hanh (AP)