Gunman kills 1 detainee, wounds 2 at ICE facility

FBI agents at crime scene in ICE shooting in Dallas

Trump administration officials “don’t want migrants to be the victim in this story”

(Image credit: Stewart F. House / Getty Images)

What happened

A sniper shot three detainees at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas early Wednesday, killing one and critically wounding the other two before fatally shooting himself, the Department of Homeland Security said. No ICE officials were injured. The FBI said it was treating the attack as an “act of targeted violence.”

Who said what

The shooter — identified as Joshua Jahn, 29 — “fired indiscriminately” at the ICE office from a nearby rooftop, “including at a van” waiting outside that was holding the three victims, DHS said. None of the victims were identified. Police said it wasn’t clear who the shooter was targeting or why. Jahn “left a long record of himself online,” The New York Times said, but he “showed little obvious interest in politics,” instead posting about “video games, cars, ’South Park’ and marijuana.”

FBI Director Kash Patel posted what he said was a crime-scene photo of an unspent rifle shell with “ANTI-ICE” written on it in marker. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the “vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE.” Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) told Dallas’ WFAA-TV that Trump administration officials appeared to be “trying to control this narrative and they don’t want migrants to be the victim in this story.”

What next?

Democratic officials and immigrant rights groups responded to the shooting with fresh calls for an end to political violence. President Donald Trump and other Republicans warned Democrats to stop “demonizing” ICE. Noem ordered more security at ICE facilities across the U.S., DHS said Wednesday evening.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.