Early on September 24, 2025, a shooter opened fire from a nearby rooftop at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas, striking a transport van in the sally port and killing at least one detainee while wounding others before taking his own life. The scene was chaos: law enforcement swarmed, ambulances raced in, and a community that deserves safety once again found itself facing political violence.
Authorities quickly identified the attacker as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn and recovered disturbing evidence at the scene, including an unfired round marked “ANTI-ICE,” which points to an ideologically driven assault on federal officers and the people in their custody. Officials say the gunman used a rifle and fired into a secure entryway, striking those inside the vehicle as they were being processed. These are not isolated rumors — they are the facts the FBI and DHS are investigating.
This attack comes amid a string of hostile actions against ICE and border facilities in Texas this year, a trend that should alarm every American who believes in law, order, and the rule of law. Radicalizing rhetoric that paints federal officers as villains creates a permissive environment for violence; political leaders who demonize enforcement agencies must answer for the consequences of their words. The public debate about immigration policy is legitimate, but it does not excuse or justify shooting at government facilities.
Washington’s first duty is the safety of its citizens and the men and women who carry out dangerous missions on our behalf, and yet too often we see reflexive sympathy for the nastiest rhetoric while the backbone of enforcement is vilified. Homeland Security and the FBI have declared the incident a targeted act of violence, and federal resources must be poured into the investigation to find any accomplices and prevent copycat attacks. If we are serious about protecting the public, that means prosecuting political violence to the fullest extent of the law.
Enough with the performative outrage and finger-pointing that stops at a press release and a shovel of hashtags; families are grieving and the vulnerable in custody deserve protection, not to become collateral in a political stunt. Elected officials who have spent years amplifying “abolish” rhetoric should show some humility and support concrete measures: increased security at federal facilities, stiffer penalties for attacks on officers and staff, and coordinated federal-state enforcement to deter future violence. America does not crumble under enforcement — it crumbles when we let lawlessness win by turning a blind eye.
We mourn the victims and we pray for their families, but mourning without action is empty. The time has come for every decent American — regardless of party — to stand with our law enforcement, protect those doing a difficult job, and reject the violent fringe that seeks to settle political scores with bullets.
