Two detainees dead, one critically wounded after shooting at Dallas ICE facility

“Two detainees dead, one critically wounded after shooting at Dallas ICE facility” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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A shooter killed two detainees and injured a third outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas after firing from a nearby rooftop Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“The shooter fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” DHS said in its statement.

The shooter, whose identity has not been released by authorities, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The wounded detainee was in critical condition Wednesday.

Authorities in Dallas said it wasn’t clear who the shooter was targeting.

During a news conference, police didn’t provide any other details about the victims but emphasized they didn’t include any law enforcement officers. R. Joseph Rothrock, the special agent in charge of the Dallas office, said during the news conference that ammunition found near the shooter’s body “contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature.”

FBI Director Kash Patel shared a photo on social media depicting “five unspent shell casings” on the ground, with “ANTI ICE” written on one of them.

Patel, who has been criticized for releasing incorrect information about the assassination of conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk, said that even though the Dallas shooting is still under investigation, the “initial review of the evidence shows an idealogical motive behind this attack.”

Law enforcement officials at the news conference urged the public to tone down the political rhetoric toward immigration officers.

“This needs to stop. Violence is wrong. Politically motivated violence is wrong,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said at the news conference. “We should not be putting language out there that inspires madmen.”

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called the incident “horrific,” and said his office is making sure that “all resources are brought to bear in the investigation.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the shooting was “an attack on ICE law enforcement.”

The Trump administration has made immigration a top priority, moving non-immigration federal law enforcement officers to help ICE arrest, detain and deport thousands of undocumented immigrants, including some with legal permission to be in the country. In some cases, ICE has also detained U.S. citizens.

The administration has routinely touted the arrests of men who have been convicted of sexual assaults and other violent crimes and said law enforcement is targeting the “worst of the worst.” But government data shows that a majority of those targeted by ICE have no criminal record.

Gov. Greg Abbott wrote on X that the shooting “will NOT slow our arrest, detention, & deportation of illegal immigrants. We will work with ICE & the Dallas Police Dept. to get to the bottom of the assassin’s motive. We will offer ICE additional support to assist their operations.”

The shooting is at least the third at a Texas ICE facility in recent months.

A July 4 attack at another Texas immigration detention center injured a police officer, who was shot in the neck. Attackers dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, federal prosecutors said. At least 11 people have been charged in connection with the attack.

A man with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at federal agents as they were leaving a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen on July 7. The man, identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, injured a police officer who responded to the scene before authorities shot and killed him. Police later found other weaponry, ammunition and backpacks inside his car.

Vice President JD Vance said on X that “the obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop.”

House Speaker Dustin Burrows echoed that sentiment.

“All acts of violence and intimidation simply cannot be tolerated within our society, whether it be against law enforcement personnel, political figures, or innocent individuals,” he wrote on X. “I am grateful to the law enforcement officers who quickly responded to the shooting in Dallas this morning and continue to work to ensure the safety of everyone at the ICE field office.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also weighed in on X, saying: “We will continue to do everything in our power to combat the alarming increase of targeted attacks against ICE and all law enforcement by evil, twisted individuals.”

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said the “tragic killing of two immigrants” is “heartbreaking.”

“All of us need to reject extremism in our politics and come together to prevent tragedies like this,” Castro said in a statement.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/.

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