A shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, Texas, has left two detainees dead and one person wounded. The incident, which occurred early Wednesday morning, was carried out by a single shooter who was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the roof of a nearby building. According to officials with the Department of Homeland Security, no ICE agents were injured in the attack. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and a full investigation is underway.
Police responded to the ICE field office shortly before 7 a.m. local time after receiving reports of an active shooter. The facility, which is located off of Interstate 35, was quickly surrounded by a large number of emergency vehicles. Officials have confirmed that two detainees at the facility were killed, and a third person was injured and taken to a local hospital. The identity of the third victim has not been released, and it is unclear if they are an employee, a civilian, or another detainee.
The nature of the attack, which officials say was “apparently targeting detainees,” and the discovery of the shooter on a nearby rooftop, suggests a planned and calculated attack. Law enforcement sources have indicated that the perpetrator was a sniper, and an initial search for a possible second shooter was conducted before officials confirmed that the single suspect was deceased. The incident has been described by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as part of an “unprecedented violence” against ICE law enforcement, a sentiment that has been echoed by other officials who note an uptick in attacks on immigration facilities and personnel.
The shooting in Dallas is the latest in a series of attacks on federal law enforcement facilities in Texas. It comes just months after a similar incident on the Fourth of July at an ICE detention center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, where an officer was shot and injured. In that incident, attackers dressed in tactical gear opened fire on the facility in what federal prosecutors described as a “planned ambush.” A separate attack just days later saw a heavily armed man open fire on federal agents at a U.S. Border Patrol facility in Texas, injuring a police officer before being shot and killed.
The Dallas shooting highlights the growing threat of targeted violence against immigration enforcement agencies and the individuals within their facilities. While the motive is still under investigation, the event has reignited debates over the security of these facilities and the safety of both staff and detainees. Officials have stated that the investigation is in its early stages, and they will be working to determine the full scope of the attack, including who the perpetrator was and what their ultimate objective was in targeting the facility.
