Gunman kills detainee, wounds two in attack on Dallas ICE office

DALLAS (CN) — A rooftop gunman killed a detainee and critically wounded two others before killing himself at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas early Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Law enforcement identified Joshua Jahn, 29, as the shooter.

“The shooter fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. “Three detainees were shot.”

The agency released photos of shell casings found at the scene with “ANTI-ICE” messages on them. No ICE agents were injured in the attack.

ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan said that the three detainees had been arrested and were in the process of being transferred to longer-term facilities.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott posted on social media in the hours immediately after Wednesday’s shooting that “this assassination will NOT slow our arrest, detention & deportation of illegal immigrants.”

Democrat Representative Mark Veasey deemed Abbott’s statement as “absolutely sickening.”

“Two people have been killed and you are still focused on border theatre,” Veasey posted. “This is unreal..what a failure in leadership.”

Republican Senator Ted Cruz warned Democrats of the “very real consequences” of criticizing ICE after the shooting.

“To every politician who is using rhetoric demonizing ICE and demonizing [U.S. Customs and Border Protection], stop,” he said at a press conference in Dallas. “To every politician demanding that ICE agents be doxed and calling for people to go after their families, stop.”

ICE’s Dallas field office in particular has faced mounting criticism since the ramp-up of immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration. Relatives of detainees have complained of detainees being crowded in poor conditions at a facility not designed for medium-to-long-term stays.

ICE’s Dallas field office is located between downtown and Dallas Love Field along Interstate 35-E. Traffic was at a standstill during morning rush hour as the area was cordoned off with crime scene tape and packed with law enforcement officers.

Wednesday’s attack comes one month after a bomb threat was made at the same Dallas field office. DHS said Bratton Wilkinson, 36, claimed to have a bomb in his backpack and was charged with making terroristic threats.

The shooting is the third attack on a Texas ICE facility within three months. Authorities say Ryan Mosqueda, 27, was shot and killed by police after he opened fire on a Border Patrol facility in McAllen on July 7. A police officer was injured responding to the shooting.

A police officer was shot in the neck during a July 4 attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado. Prosecutors say attackers used fireworks and spray painted messages of “ICE pig” and “traitor” to draw unarmed officers out of the facility. They say an AR-style rifle was found at the scene after 20-30 rounds were fired.

Wednesday’s attack also comes two weeks after the public assassination of Republican activist Charlie Kirk during an outdoor speaking event at Utah Valley University. It comes fourteen months after President Donald Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

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