A sniper attack on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas on Wednesday left one immigration detainee dead and two others critically injured. Authorities said the gunman, identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, opened fire from a nearby rooftop before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators recovered ammunition marked with the phrase “ANTI-ICE,” which the FBI described as evidence of an ideological motive. Officials said Jahn used a high-powered rifle to fire indiscriminately at the ICE building and an unmarked van parked in its sallyport. No law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that three detainees were struck, including one Mexican national. Initial reports suggested two fatalities, but the agency later revised the toll to one. The Dallas facility, targeted in the shooting, is used for short-term processing of recently arrested individuals rather than long-term detention.
Jahn had minor criminal charges dating back to 2016, including cannabis-related offenses. Public records show he was registered as an independent voter and last cast a ballot in the 2024 general election. His background and online activity remain under review by federal investigators.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and follows a string of recent incidents at ICE facilities in Texas, including a bomb threat in Dallas in August and shootings in San Antonio and Alvarado earlier this summer. Officials have voiced concerns about politically motivated violence against ICE staff, particularly as the agency expands deportation operations under President Donald Trump’s directives.
The shooting drew bipartisan condemnation. Republican leaders, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that enforcement operations would continue without interruption. Democrats also denounced the attack as an unacceptable act of violence, while warning that political rhetoric targeting government agencies fuels dangerous hostility.
Federal authorities are treating the Dallas shooting as an act of targeted violence. While investigators have not linked Jahn to any specific group, officials emphasized the broader rise in threats and assaults against ICE facilities in recent months.
Source: BBC