INVESTIGATINGGovernmentRyan Schwank, an ICE agent, became the first whistleblower to publicly expose how ICE drastically cut its child exploitation investigation programs. The agency that claims to protect children was gutting the programs designed to do exactly that.
“Ryan Schwank, an ICE agent, became the first whistleblower to publicly expose how ICE drastically cut its child exploitation investigation programs. The agency that claims to protect children was gutting the programs designed to do exactly that.”
Ryan Schwank is an ICE agent. He went public with something the agency wanted buried: ICE has been systematically cutting its child exploitation investigation programs. The agency that wraps itself in "protecting children" rhetoric was quietly dismantling the programs that actually protect children.
Schwank didn't leak anonymously. He put his name on it. He went through Whistleblower Aid — a legal nonprofit that protects government employees who expose wrongdoing. Democracy Now! and other outlets covered his testimony. His career at ICE is likely over. He did it anyway.
ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division runs child exploitation investigations — identifying victims, arresting predators, dismantling trafficking networks. Schwank revealed that the agency has been slashing funding, reassigning personnel, and deprioritizing these investigations. The resources are being redirected to immigration enforcement.
Politicians who vote to expand ICE's budget frequently cite "protecting children" as justification. The Save the Children rhetoric drives billions in funding. But when that money arrives at ICE, it goes to immigration raids — not child protection. The children are the justification. They're not the priority.
This isn't the first time an agency has used "for the children" to secure funding and then spent it on something else entirely. But it might be the first time an agent went on camera to prove it.
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