Migrant killed in ‘anti-ICE’ attack in Dallas, gunman kills self

A sniper attacked an ICE facility in Dallas early Wednesday morning, killing one migrant and wounding others before shooting and killing himself.

No ICE personnel were hurt in the attack, but authorities characterized it as the latest in a wave of “anti-ICE” violence, fueled by angry rhetoric and pushback at President Trump’s call for “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants.

FBI Director Kash Patel released a photo of rounds of unfired ammunition recovered near the shooter’s body. One bullet casing had “Anti ICE” written on it.

Joshua Johnson, head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Dallas office, also blamed anti-ICE rhetoric for spurring the attack.

“It’s got to stop. It’s dangerous and people are losing their lives,” he said.

Authorities said the investigation is still active and they released few details beyond the grim body count.

They said four people were shot in total, leaving one victim and the shooter dead and two others wounded. They did not confirm the identity of the victims but stressed no ICE personnel or other law enforcement were killed, and local media reported the three victims were all migrants.

Dallas police said the shooter had taken up a position in another building, and “opened fire at a government building.” Migrants were being brought into the facility for processing when they came under attack, according to local news reports.

ICE has been the target of increasing violence, which authorities have blamed on virulent denunciations from high-profile Democrats angry at the pace of arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants.

Sanctuary city leaders have vowed to “resist” ICE, and senior Democrats have compared the agency to Nazis or labeled them a “secret police” acting beyond the law.

Mr. Patel demanded an end to “despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement.”

In July, a group of people conducted an armed assault on an ICE detention facility in Prairieland, Texas, wounding one police officer and attempting to shoot guards at the facility.

“It has to end and the FBI and our partners will lead these investigative efforts to see to it that those who target our law enforcement are pursued and brought to the fullest extent of justice,” Mr. Patel said.

The anger at ICE has boiled over as the agency is running up its arrests and deportations.

Homeland Security said ICE is on pace to set new deportation records. But as its officers go out into sanctuary communities to make arrests, they’re increasingly meeting resistance.

The agency’s critics say ICE is too heavy-handed, with masked agents arriving in force to make immigration arrests. They also say Mr. Trump has broken his promise to focus on criminals and is sweeping up a growing number of rank-and-file illegal immigrants who lack serious criminal records.

One federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that ICE was violating constitutional rights by targeting people because of their language, apparent ethnicity and where they worked or were hanging out. She ordered a halt to those arrests. The Supreme Court put that decision on hold.

Judges have also questioned conditions at some ICE facilities, and pointedly complained about officers’ use of masks.

ICE defends the masks, saying its employees are being doxxed, with their personal information shared online in a campaign of intimidation.

Violence against ICE has long been an issue, dating back to the first Trump administration. In 2019, someone shot through the window of the agency’s office in San Antonio, Texas.

Later that year, a man was shot and killed by authorities while he was trying to ignite propane tanks at an ICE detention facility.

He left a manifesto with anti-ICE rhetoric that echoed the complaints of prominent Democrats at the time, saying he was striking against “the forces of evil” and calling ICE’s migrant detention “concentration camps.”