What are the physical fitness standards and practice resources for ICE BIETP candidates?
Executive summary
The ICE Basic Immigration Enforcement Training Program (BIETP) requires candidates to pass a pre-employment physical fitness test (PFT) or Physical Abilities Assessment (PAA) as a condition of attendance and continued employment [1] [2], and reporting indicates the common benchmark in coverage has been 15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups and a 1.5-mile run in 14 minutes though that specific numeric standard was reported by media rather than only by ICE in the materials provided [3]. Federal training for BIETP happens at FLETC and emphasizes operational skills alongside physical and defensive training, while questions about recruit pass rates and training capacity have drawn congressional and media scrutiny amid a rapid hiring surge [4] [5] [6].
1. What the stated standard framework is
ICE and DHS require a physical fitness assessment as a hiring and training gate: job announcements and ICE career guidance make a mandatory pre-employment PFT/PAA a screening condition for candidates who must attend BIETP or DOTP (Deportation Officer Transition Program) [1] [7], and DHS has publicly stated recruits must meet agency PAA standards as a condition of employment [2]. The best- circulated numeric benchmark in press reporting for the BIETP-era academy test is 15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups and a 1.5-mile run in 14 minutes, a figure cited in multiple media accounts about failing recruits [3]. ICE’s official recruitment pages and historical PFT FAQ materials exist as the formal source for current and legacy standards, but the exact up-to-date numeric cutoffs should be confirmed on ICE’s PFT page and program documents [8] [9].
2. How BIETP and FLETC integrate fitness into training
BIETP is delivered at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and covers core law, policy, and skill blocks that include defensive tactics, firearms and officer safety — elements that presume a baseline of physical readiness for fieldwork [4] [5]. ICE’s training pipeline requires successful completion of both BIETP and related language or transition programs for deportation officers and includes continued physical assessments [7], so fitness is not a one-time hurdle but part of the overall qualification framework for Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel [4].
3. Practice resources and preparation available to candidates
ICE publishes a Physical Fitness Test page and historical PFT FAQ documents that outline the assessment and provide guidance for applicants preparing for the test [8] [9]; FLETC’s BIETP description and ICE pre-academy materials describe the physical and defensive components candidates will encounter in training [4] [5]. The public record provided here does not enumerate a centralized ICE-sponsored training program of workouts or a step-by-step practice curriculum beyond those official PFT documents, so candidates commonly prepare using general law-enforcement fitness standards and the guidance on the ICE PFT and FLETC pages [8] [9] [4].
4. Performance trends, reporting and political context
Recent reporting that roughly one in three recruits failed the academy fitness test — framed around the 15/32/1.5-mile benchmark in some articles — has prompted DHS responses defending PAA requirements and spurred congressional concern about whether a hiring surge is outpacing training capacity and standards [3] [2] [6]. Media and oversight narratives diverge: critics point to failure rates as evidence of weakened standards amid rapid hiring, while DHS and ICE emphasize that meeting PAA standards remains a firm employment requirement, an implicit tension that can reflect oversight agendas and political debate over immigration enforcement resources [2] [6].
5. Bottom line and limits of the record
Candidates for BIETP must clear a mandatory PFT/PAA to enter and remain in ERO roles and should consult ICE’s official Physical Fitness Test page and the FLETC BIETP program documentation for the latest, authoritative requirements and recommended preparatory guidance [8] [4]; the specific numeric workout standards widely cited in reporting (15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups, 1.5-mile run in 14 minutes) appear in media accounts of recruit failure rates but should be cross-checked against ICE’s current PFT guidance because the publicly available snippets here do not include a contemporaneous official table of cut scores [3] [9]. This assessment relies on ICE and FLETC materials plus media reporting; if precise, current cutoffs and sample practice regimens are needed, ICE’s PFT page and the BIETP/FLETC student materials are the primary documents to consult [8] [4].