On the morning of September 24, 2025, the city of Dallas awoke to tragedy at the hands of a lone gunman targeting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. The attack, which left one detainee dead and two others critically wounded, has sent shockwaves through the local community and reignited national debates over political violence, immigration enforcement, and the safety of federal facilities.
According to AP and NBC News, the incident unfolded around 6:40 a.m. when a shooter, later identified by law enforcement as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, opened fire from the roof of an adjacent building. Jahn, armed with a bolt action rifle, targeted the ICE field office located near Interstate 35 East, just southwest of Dallas Love Field airport. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Jahn fired indiscriminately at the ICE building and a transport van in the sallyport—a secure, gated entryway used for moving detainees.
Three detainees were struck by gunfire inside the van. One was killed at the scene, while two others were rushed to a hospital in critical condition. No ICE agents or other staff were harmed in the attack, according to DHS. The shooter died by suicide at the scene, authorities said. The motive for the attack remains unclear, though FBI Director Kash Patel posted an image on social media of a bullet found at the scene bearing the inscription "ANTI-ICE," hinting at possible political motivations.
As news of the shooting broke, law enforcement quickly converged on the area. Officers responded to a call for assistance, and the scene was soon swarming with police, federal agents, and emergency personnel. By midday, the FBI had announced it was investigating the shooting as "an act of targeted violence." FBI agents were later seen gathering at a suburban Dallas home linked to Jahn, as reported by AP.
The shooting is the latest in a troubling string of violent incidents targeting ICE and other federal immigration facilities in Texas this year. Just a month prior, attackers clad in black, military-style gear opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, injuring a police officer. In another incident, a man armed with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at federal agents leaving a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, wounding a responding officer before being shot and killed by authorities. Federal officials have responded to rising tensions by increasing security at several immigration centers, including erecting fences and boarding up windows in some locations.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wasted no time in responding to the Dallas tragedy. By evening, she had ordered heightened security at ICE facilities nationwide. "No ICE agents were injured in the shooting," the department stated, "but the threat to federal law enforcement is real and growing." Noem also referenced the uptick in targeted attacks against ICE agents, underscoring the need for vigilance and enhanced protection.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also weighed in, initially referring to the shooting as an "assassination" in a post on X (formerly Twitter) before later calling it an assault. "Any loss of life is bad, but this is an assault now. Not just on ICE agents. This is an assault on the federal government simply trying to enforce the law. This is unacceptable," Abbott told CBS News Texas. He pledged full cooperation with federal agencies, emphasizing that the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard would continue working closely with ICE. "We need to double down on explaining that it's completely unacceptable to have these attacks first on life itself," Abbott said. "But second, on our own government, and such hostile acts against our government must be swiftly and harshly punished."
Political leaders across the spectrum condemned the violence. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, speaking at a Dallas news conference, declared, "This is the third shooting in Texas directed at ICE or CBP. This must stop. Violence is wrong; politically-motivated violence is wrong. Violence has no place. It is wrong and we should come together. If we want to have a debate on immigration policies, we can do so in the halls of Congress without demonizing each other." President Donald Trump, briefed on the Dallas shooting, called the "anti-ICE" phrase found on a shell casing "despicable."
Other voices sought to remind the public of the human cost. The American Immigration Lawyers Association released a statement calling the shootings "a stark reminder that behind every immigration case number is a human being deserving of dignity, safety, and respect." The Catholic Legal Immigration Network described the incident as "a heartbreaking reminder of the violence and fear that too often touch the lives of migrants and the communities where they live." Anna Gallagher, the group’s executive director, added, "Violence must never be allowed to define how we respond to migration."
Local faith leaders, too, have been vocal. The Rev. Ashley Anne Sipe, who holds weekly vigils outside the Dallas ICE facility, told AP, "Violence doesn’t heal anything." Sipe and fellow advocates have long decried deportations and the secrecy surrounding detainee transfers. "They’re taking them away, and we don’t know where they’re taking them," she said, expressing concern for the safety and welfare of those in ICE custody.
As for the shooter, Joshua Jahn, little in his background appeared to foreshadow such violence. According to AP, Jahn had a history of transient employment, including a brief stint at a Texas-based solar company and several months working on a legal marijuana farm in Washington state. Ryan Sanderson, the farm’s owner, recalled, "He’s a young kid, a thousand miles from home, didn’t really seem to have any direction, living out of his car at such a young age. I don’t remember him being that abnormal. He didn’t seem to fight with anyone or cause trouble. He kept his head down and stayed working."
The attack has prompted renewed scrutiny of security measures at ICE facilities nationwide. John Torres, a former acting director of ICE, noted that many field offices are not designed to hold people in custody and often have vulnerable loading areas or exposed vantage points. "I would assure you that ICE, after today, is going to be a taking a hard look at physical security assessments for all of their facilities," Torres told AP.
As investigators continue to piece together the events and motivations behind the Dallas shooting, the incident stands as a somber reminder of the volatile intersection of immigration, political rhetoric, and public safety in the United States. For the families of the victims and the broader community, the scars of that morning will not soon fade.
