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What training programs can help applicants meet the 2025 ICE PFT minimums?
Executive summary
Training programs specifically marketed to help candidates hit ICE’s 2025 PFT minimums are available from private vendors and established federal readiness programs; Mountain Tactical Institute (MTI) offers tailored 4–5 week, 4–5 day/week PFT plans for various ICE components (DOTP, ERO, CBP-style) [1][2][3]. ICE’s own hiring pages and DHS/HSl guidance describe the PFT as a multi-event, timed assessment (push‑ups, sit‑ups, pull‑ups, 1.5‑mile run in many reports) and recommend candidates train to those standards before testing [4][5].
1. What the ICE PFT looks like and why targeted training matters
ICE and DHS materials describe the PFT as a multi‑event, timed fitness assessment intended to predict ability to complete academy requirements and the job; ICE/HSl guidance says the PFT consists of four timed events and that failing any single event fails the overall test, which is why targeted preparation is recommended [4]. Reporting on the agency’s recent recruitment surge notes the ICE test typically includes sit‑ups, pull‑ups, and a 1.5‑mile run with a time standard often cited around 14:25, making run speed and both core and upper‑body strength central to passing [5][6].
2. Private training programs: short, event‑focused plans for PFT success
Mountain Tactical Institute markets several short, intensive PFT plans built in mid‑2025 specifically for ICE and related federal PFTs: a 5‑week DOTP plan (5 days/week) and a 4‑week ERO plan (5 days/week), plus a law‑enforcement PFT archive focused on sprinting, running, push‑ups and pull‑ups [1][2][3]. Those plans claim assessment‑based scaling, multiple strength progressions, and event‑specific work capacity and tactical agility programming — features that map closely to the events ICE requires [1][3]. Caveat: MTI’s product pages include liability disclaimers and note “train at your own risk,” and are commercial offerings, not federal training guidance [1][2].
3. Federal resources and institutional training context
ICE and DHS materials and hiring pages emphasize candidates should train to ICE/HSI standards prior to testing and outline the PFT process and retest policies — for example, failing a first attempt requires a retest within 45 days for HSI standards [4]. Federal partners like CBP publish their own readiness videos and standardized training programs intended to keep applicants “ready for basic training,” which can be used as a model for PFT preparation [7]. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) is heavily involved in scaling ICE training during the surge, but available sources do not list FLETC‑issued public PFT regimens for applicants [8][9].
4. Performance gaps and why prep programs are proliferating
Investigations and reporting show a substantial share of recent ICE applicants failed the academy PFT — “more than a third” in some reporting — with the timed run frequently the biggest hurdle, prompting field‑level pre‑screening and an industry response of short, intense prep plans [6][10]. Critics warn that hiring surges and shortened academies increase the pressure to fast‑track recruits, which in turn raises demand for preparatory services; press reporting quotes ICE leadership ordering field offices to screen fitness earlier [6][9].
5. Practical training approaches reflected in available plans
The MTI plans and law‑enforcement PFT archives prioritize progressive overload, event‑specific intervals for running, sprint work, dedicated upper‑body/pull‑up progressions, core strength for sit‑ups, and work capacity conditioning — the very elements ICE’s PFT emphasizes — delivered in 4–5 week concentrated blocks [1][2][3]. These short programs are aimed at applicants who already have a baseline fitness level; MTI advertises individualized scaling, but applicants with lower starting fitness may need longer preparatory timelines than those plans provide [1].
6. Conflicting views, limits of the record, and what’s not said
Reporting and vendor pages converge on the PFT events and the need to train specifically for them, but sources differ over scale and causes of failures: The Atlantic and other outlets emphasize “athletically allergic” recruits and field screening orders [6], while DHS statements stress standards are unchanged and that fitness checks have been moved earlier in the sequence [11]. Available sources do not include a central ICE‑published 2025 candidate training curriculum or an exhaustive list of officially endorsed private prep programs; nor do they provide independent performance validation (e.g., pass‑rate improvements) for specific commercial plans (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line for applicants: choose focused, evidence‑aligned prep
If your goal is to meet ICE’s PFT minimums, use training that (a) targets the named events (run intervals and pacing for 1.5 miles, progressive pull‑up and push‑up work, core conditioning for sit‑ups), (b) is progressive and scaled to your starting level as MTI’s plans advertise, and (c) gives you at least several weeks to adapt before test day — recognizing short 4–5 week commercial plans are designed to sharpen already fit candidates [1][2][3][4]. For official retest rules, event order, and disqualifying criteria, follow ICE/DHS guidance and the USAJOBS announcement for the position you seek [4][12].