Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees were killed and a third injured Wednesday morning when a sniper opened fire on the Dallas ICE facility from an adjacent building, authorities said. The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as federal agents approached.
The attack occurred around 7 a.m. at the ICE field office on North Stemmons Freeway, prompting a massive law enforcement response that shut down Interstate 35E in both directions. All three shooting victims were ICE detainees; no federal officers were injured, officials confirmed.
“Details are still emerging but we can confirm there were multiple injuries and fatalities,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on X. “While we don’t know motive yet, we know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them. It must stop.”
Dallas Police said the gunman, identified as a white male, positioned himself on a rooftop with a rifle and “opened fire at a government building from an adjacent building.” Police sources told local media the shooter died from a gunshot wound to the head as agents closed in on his position.
“The FBI is fully engaged, in conjunction with our state and federal law enforcement partners, at the crime scene in Dallas,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posted on X.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons confirmed the shooting during a CNN interview, calling it a “very fluid situation” with the motive still unknown. ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan told Fox News that investigators were still determining the circumstances of the attack.
Vice President JD Vance condemned what he characterized as escalating violence against federal immigration enforcement.
“The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop,” Vance posted on X. “I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families.”
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz said his office was “closely monitoring the situation at the ICE Detention Facility in Dallas,” adding, “We are praying for the swift recovery of those injured, and we are deeply grateful to the brave first responders who rushed to the scene.”
Wednesday’s shooting represents the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting immigration facilities in Texas. On July 4, attackers in military-style clothing opened fire at the Prairieland Detention Center near Fort Worth, shooting a police officer in the neck. The officer survived, and at least 11 people have been charged in that coordinated assault.
Days after the July 4 attack, a 27-year-old man with tactical gear was killed by police after opening fire on a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, injuring two officers and a Border Patrol employee in an extended firefight.
In August, authorities arrested a man who claimed to have a bomb in his backpack at the same Dallas ICE facility targeted in Wednesday’s attack, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In July 2016, Micah Xavier Johnson killed five Dallas police officers and wounded several others during a Black Lives Matter protest downtown. Johnson, who acted alone and had expressed anger over police shootings of Black Americans, was killed by police using a robot-delivered explosive device after a lengthy standoff.
That 2016 attack marked one of the deadliest single incidents for law enforcement since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Federal authorities including the FBI and ATF responded to Wednesday’s scene. The Dallas Police Department said it would hold a news conference later Wednesday to provide additional details.
Traffic remained diverted from the area as investigators processed the scene. The facility houses both ICE’s Dallas Field Office and Enforcement and Removal Operations.
“Please pray for the victims and their families,” Secretary Noem said.
DEVELOPING
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
Image “Crime Scene” by TXDOT.
