Anti-ICE Rhetoric Linked to Fatal Sniper Attack at Dallas Federal Facility
Sniper kills two detainees, wounds one in shocking Texas attack.
A sniper attack on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, Texas, left two detainees dead and one critically injured on Wednesday, according to officials. The gunman, who fired indiscriminately from the rooftop of a nearby building, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed in a statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing the shooter’s motives, with early evidence suggesting a targeted assault on ICE, the agency at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies. FBI Special Agent Joe Rothrock revealed at a press conference that unspent bullets found near the suspect bore inscriptions like “ANTI-ICE,” pointing to a clear anti-ICE sentiment. FBI Director Kash Patel took to X to share images of the marked bullets, condemning the attack as a “despicable, politically motivated” act against law enforcement.
The attack targeted an ICE field office that processes detainees before their transfer to long-term detention centers. The shooter fired at the building, striking a van in the facility’s sallyport where the victims were located, DHS reported. Two detainees were killed, and a third remains in critical condition.
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The incident has reignited tensions surrounding ICE’s role in Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has drawn criticism for its use of armed, masked agents in public raids. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance issued strong statements on X, blaming inflammatory rhetoric against ICE for inciting violence.
“For months, we’ve warned politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed,” Noem wrote, calling the attack a “wake-up call” to those criticizing the agency. Vance echoed her sentiments, urging an end to “obsessive attacks” on law enforcement, particularly ICE.
This is not the first assault on ICE facilities in Texas. In July, an attack on an ICE center in Alvarado left a police officer wounded. Ten individuals, dressed in black military-style clothing, were charged after shooting fireworks at the facility and defacing property with phrases like “Traitor” and “ICE Pig.” Days later, a 27-year-old man armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, injuring two police officers and a Border Patrol employee before being killed.
The Dallas attack follows a pattern of unrest tied to ICE’s operations, including earlier protests in Los Angeles after immigration raids prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city. As investigations continue, the incident underscores the volatile debate over immigration enforcement and the safety of federal facilities in the U.S.
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