A gunman opened fire on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas on Wednesday, killing one detainee and critically injuring two others before taking his own life, federal officials said.
The attacker, identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn of McKinney, Texas, fired from a nearby rooftop into the ICE facility’s secure entryway, striking a van carrying detainees.
Officials said Jahn left behind unused ammunition with the words “ANTI-ICE” etched on one shell casing, which investigators believe signaled an ideological motive.
“This was an act of targeted violence,” said Joseph Rothrock, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Dallas. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later confirmed that Jahn had deliberately targeted ICE.
The shooting has intensified political tensions, with President Donald Trump blaming Democrats for what he called a growing wave of left-wing violence against law enforcement.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump accused “Radical Left Democrats” of demonizing ICE officers, vowing to sign an executive order this week to “dismantle these domestic terrorism networks.” He offered no evidence to suggest organized groups were behind the recent spate of attacks.
The attack comes just two weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a Utah speaking event, further fueling fears of escalating politically motivated violence.
Trump and his allies have drawn a direct line between the two incidents, despite investigators not having publicly established such a link.
Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, came under sharp criticism from White House officials after a television appearance in which he described ICE raids as “authoritarian.”
Adviser Stephen Miller accused him of “inciting violence,” while Noem argued that such rhetoric gave cover to extremists.
Jahn’s brother, Noah, told reporters he was shocked by the attack, saying he had never known Joshua to express hostility toward ICE or political views of any kind.
The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday’s assault was the third shooting this year targeting its facilities in Texas.
In July, a police officer was wounded at an ICE detention center in Prairieland, and later that month a Michigan man was killed after opening fire on a Border Patrol station in McAllen.
As investigators comb through evidence, Premier Cho Jung-tai urged rescue teams to “seize the golden rescue window”, correction, wrong context (Taiwan earlier).
Officials have not released the names of the Dallas victims, who remain in critical condition.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
