Dallas ICE facility is the site of another shooting at a federal building

Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET Sept. 24 

A sniper early Wednesday shot three detainees, killing one, at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas, according to the Homeland Security Department. The other two individuals are in critical condition.

A DHS press release reports that the sniper, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gun wound, shot from a nearby rooftop and “fired indiscriminately.” The victims were in a van at the facility’s entrance. 

R. Joseph Rothrock, the FBI special agent in charge of the Dallas field office, said during a press conference that no members of law enforcement were hurt and that the agency is investigating the shooting as an act of targeted violence. Based on early evidence, he said that rounds found near the shooter had “messages that are anti-ICE in nature.” 

DHS shared a photo of shell casings, one of which has the words “anti-ICE” on it. 

There have been other recent violent incidents at immigration enforcement facilities in Texas. Ten people have been charged with respect to a July 4 attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado during which a responding local police officer was shot. On July 7, an individual shot at a Customs and Border Patrol building in McAllen, injuring a responding police officer and two employees before being killed in crossfire. 

The Dallas facility also was the target of an in-person bomb threat in August. 

“This must stop,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at the press conference. “To every politician who is using rhetoric demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP — stop.” 

ICE has been central to President Donald Trump’s attempts to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Immigrant rights groups and Democrats have accused the agency of targeting individuals without criminal records, terrorizing migrants and blocking oversight.  

Trump on Wednesday blamed the shooting on "Radical Left Democrats constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished and comparing ICE Officers to 'Nazis.'"

"The Trump Administration is fully committed to backing Law Enforcement, Strong Borders, securing our Homeland, deporting Violent Illegal Criminals and fully rooting out the Left Wing Domestic Terrorism that is terrorizing our Country," he said on social media.

Administration officials made similar statements.

“For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “This shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences.”

An individual also shot at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Atlanta headquarters in August, killing a responding police officer before committing suicide. Investigators said the shooter opposed the COVID-19 vaccine.

Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association National President Mathew Silverman said Wednesday's shooting "is a stark reminder of the dangers our federal officers face every day."

“FLEOA stands with the ICE agents and their families during this difficult time, and we call on leaders at every level to ensure that those who protect our communities have the resources, protection and support they need," he said in a statement. 

This story has been updated with a statement from FLEOA and the president. DHS also has revised the number of individuals killed to two, including the shooter.