2025 Dallas ICE facility shooting

2025 Dallas ICE facility shooting
Location	8101 North Stemmons Freeway, Love Field, Dallas, Texas, US
Coordinates	32°49′24.5″N 96°52′20.4″W
Date	September 24, 2025 6:40 a.m. CDT
Target	United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Attack type	Murder-suicide, sniper attack
Weapon	8mm bolt action rifle
Deaths	2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured	2
Perpetrator	Joshua Jahn
Motive	Under investigation

On September 24, 2025, a shooter identified as Joshua Jahn shot three people detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at an immigration facility near Interstate 35E in the Love Field area of Dallas, Texas, before shooting and killing himself. The shooter fired multiple rounds from a rooftop down into the field office's sally port.

One of the victims was killed on scene, while the other two were taken to nearby hospitals in critical condition. All three were shot in a van in the sally port. No officers or staff were injured.

Jahn, who had no known political affiliations or overt anti-ICE activity online, had a prior drug-related arrest and experience with firearms. Authorities found unfired ammunition marked "ANTI-ICE" at the scene and anti-ICE notes in his personal effects, leading investigators to conclude that the attack was premeditated and intended as terrorism, but that he acted alone and was targeting ICE agents rather than detainees. Details of the attack and Jahn's background remain under investigation.

Background

Main article: Deportation in the second Trump administration

The shooting came after two prior attacks at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Texas during the Trump administration's large-scale deportation operations. Reuters described the administration's aggressive use of ICE agents across the country as sparking frequent protests, with ICE detention facilities frequently becoming "flashpoints of unrest" with "heavily armed agents deploying pepper ball guns, tear gas and other chemical agents in clashes with protesters". The protests occurred amidst multiple polls showing that a majority of Americans disapproved of the agency, with strongly negative public opinion surpassing prior negative opinion of it during the 2018 "Abolish ICE" movement.

A month before the shooting, a 36-year-old Dean Wilkinson was arrested at the facility for claiming he had a bomb and showing officers what he said was a detonator on his wrist.

On July 4, 2025, a group attacked an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, by first spray-painting vehicles and a guard structure and setting off fireworks. ICE officers contacted local law enforcement to respond to the incident, and at least one person positioned in a wooded area near the facility opened fire with an AR-15–style rifle as law enforcement arrived on scene, striking an Alvarado police officer in the neck. Between fifteen and seventeen people were indicted in the incident, including a suspected gunman. Three days later, 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda attacked a Customs and Border Protection facility in McAllen, Texas, with a rifle. Mosqueda fired several shots into the facility, but failed to gain access. Two officers, including one who was shot in the leg, and a Border Patrol employee were injured before local police officers and Border Patrol agents shot and killed Mosqueda.

Shooting

According to a statement by ICE officials, at around 6:40 a.m. the shooter began firing indiscriminately at the building and a transport van in the sally port from the rooftop of a nearby attorney's office. The port is a fortified entryway that is commonly seen in prisons and military bases.

A witness said he heard around six to ten gunshots before the gunman shot himself. All three victims were shot inside the van. Dozens of police units and multiple ambulances were seen near the facility. According to a second witness, ICE agents evacuated all employees and visitors from the facility to a secure area until the scene was confirmed to be safe.

Victims

Initially, the DHS reported two of the three victims died but later reported one of them died while the other two were in critical condition. One of the injured victims was identified as a Mexican national.

Perpetrator

Police sources identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn. Jahn was arrested in Collin County in 2015 for marijuana possession and was charged in 2016. Law enforcement responded to two addresses possibly linked to the perpetrator in Fairview, Texas, and Durant, Oklahoma. Records indicated that Jahn most recently lived in Durant.

Jahn's brother said he was not especially interested in politics and had not voiced opinions to his family opposing ICE, stating that "I didn't know he had any political intent at all". The brother also said his parents owned a rifle and Jahn knew how to use it but "He would not be able to make any shots like that."

Jahn was a registered independent in Oklahoma and last voted there in November 2024, and he had voted in the 2020 Texas Democratic presidential primary in March of that year. According to The New York Times, Jahn had an extensive online presence including at least two Reddit accounts, but little of his online activity was overtly political; most of it concerned marijuana, cars, video gaming, and South Park.

While living in Fairview, Jahn attended Collin College sporadically from 2013 to 2018, but is not believed to have graduated. During this time, Jahn worked various retail jobs for short periods. He then moved to Benton City, Washington, living in his car and working a seasonal job harvesting legal marijuana. His employer told the Times that Jahn was "a weirdo" who he "could tell... was just lost", and said he felt sorry for him but eventually let him go because he was not reliable. The man said Jahn never discussed politics around him. Jahn then returned to Texas and got a job installing solar panels in 2019, but this job lasted "less than a few months," according to the company. The Times found no documentation of Jahn holding any job after 2019.

A sign found on a car reportedly belonging to Jahn read "Radioactive fallout from nuclear formations that've passed over these areas more than 2x since 1951."

Investigation

A photo of unfired ammunition with "ANTI-ICE" written on one of the casings

In a Twitter post, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel shared images of unfired rifle cartridges with the words "ANTI-ICE" written on one of the casings, alleging that they belonged to the suspect. Patel also said the shooter downloaded a document containing a list of United States Department of Homeland Security facilities, searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents, sought information on ballistics and looked into video footage of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a targeted attack. Former FBI counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operative Eric O'Neill announced details about an investigation.

In a press briefing held on September 25, federal officials positively identified the shooter as Jahn, and said that their investigation suggested that he acted alone, that the attack was planned well in advance, his motive was to terrorize ICE agents, and that he most likely intended to kill only agents and not detainees. Handwritten notes in Jahn's personal effects described ICE activities as "human trafficking", stated "I want to cause terror" and "Yes, it was just me", and said ICE employees were "showing up to collect a dirty pay check". Officials said that Jahn was seen driving his car to the building around 3 a.m. with a large ladder, which he used to access the roof, and that he used an 8mm bolt action rifle which he had purchased legally about a month earlier. Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said that "We did not find evidence of [Jahn's] membership in any specific group or entity".

At the briefing, officials declined to identify the detainee victims, drawing criticism from a civil rights advocacy organization.

Reactions

Domestic

Axios described the shooting as triggering a "partisan blame game" as Trump administration officials and MAGA influencers immediately blamed Democrats and anti-law enforcement rhetoric more broadly for the shooting without evidence and before local police identified the suspect or a motive.

Trump was described by Reuters as having "quickly politicized" the incident, with Trump writing on Truth Social shortly after the shooting that "Radical Left Democrats" were stoking anti-ICE violence by "constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to Nazis". Vice President JD Vance posted a statement on Twitter, saying that the "obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop". He added in a statement that he's "praying for everyone hurt in the attack and for their families." Secretary Kristi Noem also responded in a social media post. Noem said more ICE agents and law enforcement officers will be hired in response to the shooting and called the shooter "evil". Acting ICE director Todd Lyons called the shooting his "worst nightmare". Texas senator John Cornyn called the shooting "horrific" and said that "he would keep everyone involved in his prayers, and promising a full investigation."

Texas senator Ted Cruz also weighed in, saying that his team "is closely monitoring the situation at the facility". He spoke that "his team are praying for the swift recovery of those injured, and we are deeply grateful to the brave first responders who rushed to the scene." Texas governor Greg Abbott said the state fully supports ICE and that the attack would not slow arrests, detentions and the deportation of illegal immigrants. Marc Veasey also released a similar statement, saying that "his office is aware of the developing situation and will continue to monitor the situation", adding that "they're keeping the victims in prayer." Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson encouraged the public to withhold conclusions about the shooter and their motives.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin wrote that he was "immensely grateful" to the first responders, writing that "I'm praying for the victims and their families" and that "this kind of violence has no place in our democracy". Democrats criticized Cruz and others of selectively releasing information about the shooting to "control the narrative" of ICE agents under siege, with Democratic U.S. rep. Marc Veasey stating he was "absolutely sickened" by the comments, saying that "If they are trying to control this narrative and they don't want migrants to be the victim in this story, then they may want to slow-walk giving us any information about this so they can still keep on talking about attacks on ICE".

International

The Consulate-General of Mexico in Dallas contacted local authorities after the attack and confirmed that one of the seriously injured victims was a Mexican national. Roberto Velasco Álvarez, the North America Unit Chief, expressed concerns through diplomatic channels and requested unfettered access to their wounded national while the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs reiterated its commitment to protecting Mexican citizens in the United States.