US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday that there was a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas.
What do we know so far?
Noem wrote on X that “there were multiple injuries and fatalities.” She said that the shooter “is deceased by a self-inflicted gun shot wound.”
Noem said the motive behind the attack is still unclear. The Dallas police department wrote on X that the shooter opened fire from an adjacent building.
Local media in Dallas had reported that three people were injured in the attack. Dozens of emergency vehicles were seen responding to the shooting in the Texan city.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told CNN that the victims in the shooting could be employees, “civilians who were visiting the facility,” or detainees.
“At this point, we’re still working through that,” Lyons said.
US Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that the “obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop. I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families.”
ICE is a federal agency which is tasked with enforcing immigration laws. The agency is involved in the arrests and deportation of undocumented people.
ICE frequently in the headlines during Trump’s second term
During US President Donald Trump’s second term, ICE has been granted permission to conduct raids targeting undocumented people in areas such as churches and schools. ICE raids, particularly in cities such as Chicago and Boston, are often in the US media headlines and at the forefront of the nation’s polarized political discourse.
ICE’s actions during the second Trump administration, such as the unlawful deportation of Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia, have sparked criticism from Democrats and immigrant rights groups.
The attack on Wednesday is the latest targeting an ICE center. In July, an attack on another immigration detention facility in Texas wounded a police officer.