A shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, Texas, left one detainee dead and two others critically wounded. A bullet the perpetrator left at the scene bore the words "ANTI-ICE." U.S. political leaders labeled the incident not just a mass shooting but a political act of terror. Experts said fears of political violence that had been rising since the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk have now become reality.
According to Fox and ABC on the 24th (local time), at about 6:40 a.m. that day, rifle rounds struck the Dallas ICE field office. The gunman opened indiscriminate fire with a rifle from the roof of a nearby building. The attack left one detainee at the facility dead and two others gravely injured in critical condition. The shooter took his own life immediately after the crime. There were no injuries among law enforcement, including ICE agents.
On an unused bullet clip recovered at the scene, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found the words "ANTI-ICE." FBI Director General Kash Patel promptly posted a photo of the bullet on X, saying, "An initial analysis of the evidence shows there was an ideological motive behind this attack." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also labeled it "an attack on ICE law enforcement."
Investigators identified the suspect as Joshua Yan, a 29-year-old man. Aside from a 2015 arrest on a marijuana possession charge, Yan was not known to have a record of violent crime. His older brother, Noah Yan, told Reuters, "I didn't know my brother had negative feelings toward ICE," adding, "He had no interest in politics at all."
The incident occurred two weeks after Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative activist group Turning Point USA, was shot dead in Utah on the 10th. At the time, President Trump pointed to the "radical left" as being behind it. On the 23rd, he signed an executive order designating antifa (anti-fascist) as a domestic terrorist organization.
It is not the first time conflict over immigration policy has escalated into gunfire. As it began its second term, the Trump administration launched a sweeping crackdown and deportation operation targeting undocumented immigrants. In the process, ICE drew attention as the frontline agency executing hardline measures and became a fierce target of criticism from the progressive camp. Later, in July this year alone, two separate shootings at an ICE detention facility and a Border Patrol facility in Texas left police officers and others injured.
The Trump administration and the Republican Party said the incident was "the result of critical and hostile rhetoric toward a law enforcement agency (ICE) that incited violence." Homeland Security Minister Kristi Noem said in a statement, "For months, we warned politicians and the media to tone down their extreme rhetoric about ICE before someone got killed," adding, "This shooting is an example to the far left that their words led to this outcome."
Vice President JD Vance also wrote on X, "Stop the near-obsessive attacks on law enforcement, especially ICE." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said at a news conference, "Disagreeing politically does not make you a Nazi," adding, "We need to stop demonizing each other and learn how to work together."
Democrats, meanwhile, condemned the violence but urged against rushing to judgment. In a joint statement, Democratic leaders including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, "No one in America should be the target of violence," while adding, "We need leadership that unites the nation in moments of crisis." Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson also urged restraint, saying, "There are still many unanswered questions."