The Trump administration has canceled law enforcement training through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) for National Park Service rangers hired after January 27, according to a group that closely follows news affecting park rangers.

If true, the order seems to reverse earlier statements that law enforcement personnel would not be affected by the hiring freeze.

"NPS Ranger News has seen correspondence from the NPS Washington Office that hiring actions for employees entering on duty after January 27 are being rescinded," said Greg Jackson, who worked at FLETC before retiring. He now tracks news involving rangers performing law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue and firefighting in the National Park System.

Jackson, in an email Wednesday, said that, "The NPS had a class scheduled to begin soon, filled with soon-to-be new hires. They would be hired and begin their training. Surprisingly, their job offers were all rescinded."

In the past, he explained, rangers already on board would be sent to get FLETC training after a few years on the job. Now, though, the Park Service requires rangers to get the training at the outset of their careers.

"I don't know the number of rangers that were supposed to be in that class, but a class typically has 24 students. These could be from a mix of agencies, however," said Jackson. "I don't know how many NPS employees were supposed to be in that class. Theoretically, it's possible that the class would run without the NPS students, but traditionally the NPS makes up the lion's share of students, so probably there won't be enough to continue the FLETC class without the new-hires for the NPS."

Jackson said he wasn't aware of whether other law-enforcement hiring beyond the Park Service was similarly affected, although he said U.S. Forest Service "seasonal firefighters" had their job offers withdrawn as well.

Staff at Park Service headquarters in Washington, the Interior Department, and FLETC did not immediately respond to questions about this development.

The move could complicate law-enforcement staffing in the parks, as hiring of seasonal law-enforcement rangers is down significantly, putting more demands on the permanent LE rangers. According to NPS Ranger News, permanent "[R]anger staffing is already down 50 percent from 2010. Seasonal staffing down from 800 to 50."

"Now, emergency services personnel are getting job offers rescinded despite top-level announcements that they would not be affected. This is causing serious concerns among those remaining," said a post on the group's Facebook page.

"Do they not care at all about human safety on federal lands? It’s either that, or they have no clue about downstream effects of their actions to destroy the 'deep state,'" a former NPS superintendent told the Traveler. "Downsizing the government strategically is one thing; this is destroying the public sector with a bludgeon."

According to the FLETC website, the training is "designed to meet the entry level training needs of law enforcement officers responsible for protecting natural resources and public lands. Core courses include training in areas such as conflict management, hazardous material (HAZMAT) awareness, emergency response driving, report writing, basic marksmanship, drugs of abuse, federal criminal law, arrest techniques, and other law enforcement duties in urban, suburban, rural, and remote areas."