Are attacks on ICE officers, facilities in the US rising?

A gunman attacked a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) installation successful Dallas, Texas, connected Wednesday, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and critically injuring 2 others earlier taking his ain life.

The incidental is conscionable the latest successful a bid of attacks connected ICE facilities amid wide outrage implicit the agency’s recent, often “military-style” raids and arrests of undocumented migrants and immoderate ineligible residents oregon visitors. This is portion of President Donald Trump’s pledge to ace down connected undocumented radical successful the US.

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The Department of Homeland Security said information astatine each ICE facilities crossed the US has been ramped up pursuing the shooting.

Authorities identified Joshua Jahn, 29, arsenic the attacker, but person not released the victims’ identities. The shooter’s motives are yet unknown, though the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced it is treating the onslaught arsenic an enactment of “targeted violence”.

Here’s what we cognize astir the attacks connected ICE facilities and unit successful caller months.

What happened successful Texas?

On Wednesday morning, astir 6:40am section clip (11:40 GMT), 29-year-old Joshua Jahn opened occurrence with a bolt-action firearm astatine an ICE installation southwest of Dallas Love Field airport, which serves the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

Acting ICE manager Todd Lyons confirmed the suspect’s property and individuality pursuing the shooting.

One detainee was killed, and 2 others who were wrong an ICE transport van astatine a gated entryway were critically injured. No officials were injured.

The fishy died astatine the country from a self-inflicted gunshot, officials said.

Later connected Wednesday, constabulary vans were reported to person gathered astatine a suburban location successful Dallas linked to the suspect.

What bash we cognize astir the shooter and his motive?

Ryan Anderson, a ineligible cannabis workplace proprietor who claimed to person hired Jahn successful 2017, told AP that the fishy was a “young kid” who usually “kept his caput down and stayed working”.

Jahn was arrested and fined for delivering marijuana successful 2015, according to nationalist records.

His motive has not been confirmed, but FBI Special Agent Joe Rothrock told a quality conference, “I tin corroborate astatine this clip that the FBI is investigating this incidental arsenic an enactment of targeted violence.”

In a station connected societal media tract X connected Wednesday, FBI manager Kash Patel shared images of what helium said were spent shells from the country of the shooting, with 1 engraved with the word: ANTI-ICE. Patel said archetypal grounds revealed “an ideological motive,” and called the shooting a “despicable, politically motivated” attack.

This greeting conscionable earlier 7am section time, an idiosyncratic fired aggregate rounds astatine a Dallas, Texas ICE facility, sidesplitting one, wounding respective others, earlier taking his ain life. FBI, DHS, ATF are connected the crushed with Dallas PD and authorities authorities.

While the probe is… pic.twitter.com/SMOyxiKLqA

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 24, 2025

However, Jahn’s brother, Noah, 30, who lives successful McKinney, Texas – astir 48km (30 miles) northbound of Dallas – told quality bureau Reuters that helium was unaware of his member having immoderate antagonistic feelings towards ICE. “I didn’t cognize helium had immoderate governmental intent astatine all,” helium was quoted arsenic saying.

Have attacks connected ICE agents and facilities go much frequent?

The Trump medication says they have.

Wednesday’s shooting is conscionable the latest successful a bid of attacks that look to people ICE facilities and officers since the bureau ramped up arguable wide arrests and deportations nether Trump.

According to a connection earlier this week from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE officials are experiencing “a much than 1,000 percent summation successful assaults”. This includes: vehicles being utilized arsenic weapons, driving towards ICE officials, and online “doxing” campaigns (revealing someone’s idiosyncratic details and address) against ICE officials and their families.

Dallas, Texas

Before Wednesday’s shooting, a 36-year-old identified arsenic Bratton Dean Wilkinson was arrested connected August 26 astatine the Dallas ICE installation aft helium claimed helium had a weaponry detonator successful his backpack, the DHS said.

Alvarado, Texas

On July 4, respective radical wearing black, military-style covering opened occurrence extracurricular the Prairieland Detention Center successful Alvarado, Texas, successful what officials called a “planned ambush” that near 1 constabulary serviceman wounded aft being changeable successful the neck.

The attackers attempted to gully ICE officers retired of the installation by archetypal mounting disconnected fireworks and spray coating “traitor” and “ICE pig” connected cars and a defender station astatine the facility, officials said.

As correction officials engaged the group, idiosyncratic lasting successful the adjacent woods appeared to awesome with a flashlight earlier shots were fired from the aforesaid direction.

A 2nd assailant crossed the thoroughfare changeable 20-30 rounds astatine the officials, officials said. An AR-style firearm and a emblem emblazoned with the words, “resist fascism, combat oligarchy”, arsenic good arsenic flyers speechmaking “Fight ICE panic with people war”, were recovered adjacent the centre, officials said.

Ten radical person since been arrested successful transportation with the shooting.

McAllen, Texas

On July 7, a shooter identified arsenic 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda fired dozens of shots astatine agents exiting a US Border Patrol installation successful McAllen, Texas, located adjacent to the US-Mexico border.

Three officers were injured, and the fishy was changeable and killed by officials. Authorities besides said that Mosqueda’s begetter claimed that his lad had intelligence wellness issues. More weapons and ammunition were recovered successful a car the fishy had driven to the transgression scene, officials said.

Federal agents permission the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gathering connected Wednesday, September 24, 2025, successful Broadview, Illinois [Erin Hooley/AP]

Broadview, Illinois

This week, an ICE installation successful Broadview, adjacent Chicago, erected gangly ligament fences to forestall protesters who had been arriving astatine the tract since Friday past week from getting excessively adjacent oregon from blocking ICE vehicles transporting detainees.

At slightest 16 protesters person been arrested aft clashing with officials astatine the scene. Some person been charged with assaulting national officers.

Officials person besides accused the protesters of throwing rocks and fireworks towards the facility. Over the weekend, demonstrators and journalists were deed with capsicum balls and teardrop gas, according to CBS News.

How galore arrests has ICE made successful caller months?

As of September 7, ICE and officials of the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) were holding 58,766 radical successful detention crossed the US, according to TRAC, a monitoring task by Syracuse University.

By contrast, 37,395 radical were detained crossed the state successful aboriginal September past year.

ICE is besides monitoring different 181,401 individuals and families who person been released, but whose cases are inactive being reviewed.

Most of these radical were detained successful Texas, Louisiana, California, Georgia and Arizona, according to TRAC data. About 70 percent of existent detainees person nary transgression conviction, and those who bash person mostly committed insignificant offences, TRAC reported.

Trump promised to ace down connected migration earlier helium won past year’s statesmanlike election. The caller spate of raids and arrests is the fulfilment of his committedness of wide deportations, the Trump medication says.

Why person ICE arrests caused controversy?

Arresting officers and agents are often accused of indiscriminately picking radical up successful the streets and of being overly heavy-handed successful apprehending and detaining people.

ICE has besides targeted ineligible residents, specified arsenic Mahmoud Khalil, who led protests astatine Columbia University past twelvemonth against Israel’s ongoing battle connected Gaza. An migration justice ordered his deportation to Syria past week aft uncovering him blameworthy of failing to disclose cardinal information erstwhile helium applied for and secured lawful imperishable residency successful the US.

According to the National Immigration Law Center, the medication is actively targeting radical with ineligible residency, oregon a US greenish card, due to the fact that of governmental enactment oregon past crimes – adjacent insignificant ones specified arsenic possessing marijuana.

Authorities are additionally reportedly monitoring the societal media of greenish paper holders.

Under US law, ICE tin detain and deport ineligible residents if they airs a “national information threat” oregon if they are progressive successful drug, weapon oregon much superior felonies, oregon marque mendacious claims to get citizenship.

Agents often deterioration masks and neglect to uncover their identities during arrest, which immoderate critics equate with “kidnapping”. Under US national law, officials are required to disclose their individuality and bureau during arrests.

On its website, however, ICE states that its agents bash not legally request judicial warrants to apprehension suspected undocumented persons. The bureau besides states that officials deterioration masks to forestall doxing and to support themselves and their families from being identified and targeted by transgression gangs.

On September 20, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the No Secret Police Act into instrumentality to prohibition ICE oregon instrumentality enforcement agents from masking up during arrests. The DHS has opposed this, with Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying successful a connection connected September 22, “To beryllium crystal clear: we volition not abide by Newsom’s unconstitutional ban.”

How person Republicans and Democrats responded to the ICE attacks?

The attacks person deepened the governmental disagreement betwixt Republicans and Democrats successful the US. Republican politicians and apical officials of the Trump medication blasted the ICE attacks connected what they telephone “extreme left-wing rhetoric” coming from Democrats.

In a station to his Truth Social tract connected Wednesday, Trump wrote, “This unit is the effect of the Radical Left Democrats perpetually demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to beryllium demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to ‘Nazis’.”

In an code pursuing the attack, Vice President JD Vance claimed that the shooter was a “violent left-wing extremist.”

He said, “They were politically motivated to spell aft radical who are enforcing our border, and I deliberation that is the astir disgusting thing. The precise radical who support america harmless ought to beryllium honoured and protected and praised by Democrats and Republicans alike. It is clip to halt the rhetorical battle connected instrumentality enforcement.”

Texas Republican legislator Ted Cruz echoed this. “To each person who is utilizing rhetoric demonising ICE and demonising CBP [Customs and Border Protection]: Stop,” Cruz told reporters connected Wednesday, portion besides invoking the caller assassination of right-wing fig Charlie Kirk.

Leave it to this medication to usage a shooting against migrant detainees to people governmental points and further provoke violence.

We person to get guns disconnected our streets and cull xenophobic and anti-immigrant sentiment that makes each of america little safe. https://t.co/mw1E5pQEYd

— Rep. Summer Lee (@RepSummerLee) September 24, 2025

Meanwhile, Democrats person accused Republicans of ignoring the information that the victims connected Wednesday were, successful fact, migrants, and not instrumentality officials. Many person urged the authorities to absorption connected tightening weapon laws.

“I don’t spot thing that’s happening retired of that bureau astatine all,” Texas Democrat congressman Marc Veasey told section quality website Notus connected Wednesday. “I don’t spot them astatine all. They’re overly political.”

Vaesey added that helium was “sickened” by the deficiency of accusation connected the dormant and 2 wounded victims. “If determination are 2 victims that are migrants, they request to beryllium acknowledged,” helium was quoted arsenic saying.

Democrat Pennsylvania typical Summer Lee besides accused Republicans of distortion. “Leave it to this medication to usage a shooting against migrant detainees to people governmental points and further provoke violence,” she wrote successful a station connected X connected Wednesday.