A gunman opened fire from a rooftop at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, Texas, leaving one detainee dead and two others in critical condition, officials said. The shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while no law enforcement officers were harmed in the attack.
Authorities say the gunman fired indiscriminately at the ICE building and a nearby unmarked van. The FBI recovered ammunition at the scene with one casing marked “ANTI-ICE,” suggesting the attack was ideologically motivated.
“While the investigation is ongoing, an initial review of the evidence shows an ideological motive behind this attack,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X. “These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off.”
Dallas police responded to the facility around 6:40 a.m. local time after receiving a call for assistance.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that three detainees were shot. One has died, and two remain in critical condition. The Mexican foreign ministry said one of the injured detainees is a Mexican national.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot. Voter records show Jahn was registered as an independent and last voted in the 2024 general election. He also had prior cannabis-related charges in Texas dating back to 2016.
FBI Special Agent Joe Rothrock said rounds found near the gunman included messages “that are anti-ICE in nature.” He described the attack as “an act of targeted violence” and part of a growing trend of attacks on ICE facilities in recent months.
Investigators said Jahn fired from an adjacent building. “The shooter fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” DHS said. Reuters reported that the targeted ICE field office handles short-term processing of detainees and is not a long-term detention facility.
Lyons told CBS News that the shooter deliberately aimed at law enforcement using a high-powered rifle and that the timing of the attack could have caused more casualties. “The suspect could have, in his indiscriminate fire, hit people traveling to work, civilians on the ground,” he said.
Eyewitness Edwin Cardona, a Dallas resident, said he was entering the building when he heard gunfire. “I was afraid for my family because my family was outside. I felt terrible because I thought something could happen to them. Thank God no,” he said.
Joshua Johnson, acting director of the Dallas ICE office, said this was the second time he had faced a media briefing about a gunman at one of his facilities. “The takeaway from all of this is that the rhetoric has to stop,” he said.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz condemned the attack as “politically motivated violence.” “Your political opponents are not Nazis,” he said. “The divisive rhetoric, tragically, has real consequences.”
The shooting comes amid heightened concerns about political violence in the United States, including the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. US President Donald Trump said ICE officers are facing “an unprecedented increase in threats” and accused “Radical Left Democrats” of “constantly demonizing Law Enforcement.”
