Facebook/Andy Jahn
Dallas, Sept. 24, 2025 — A gunman opened fire at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations facility in Dallas early Wednesday, killing two detainees and critically wounding a third, before apparently turning the weapon on himself. No ICE personnel were hurt, officials say.
Law enforcement sources have since identified the deceased shooter as 29‑year‑old Joshua Jahn. NBC News and The New York Post reported the name, citing anonymous officials. Authorities found an unspent shell casing at the scene on which someone had scrawled “ANTI‑ICE,” strongly suggesting a political or ideological motive.
The Dallas ICE office is part of the Enforcement Removal Operations branch responsible for arrests and deportations. The gunman is believed to have fired from a rooftop or neighboring structure toward a van in the facility’s sally port, where the detained victims were being transported. Two of the wounded later died; one remains in critical condition.
In response, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the attack in no uncertain terms. “This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE,” she said, warning that “for months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed.” She added: “This shooting must serve as a wake‑up call to the far‑left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences.”
Democrats have more blood on their hands today. Our feckless governor went on a “comedy” television show last night ranting about ICE agents, spewing unhinged rage and vitriol. Early this morning a madman perched himself in the shadows and took innocent lives at an ICE facility.
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 24, 2025
LAST NIGHT: Gavin Newsom said people need to push back on ICE agents because they’re the result of an authoritarian government
THIS MORNING: a sniper shot up an ICE facility pic.twitter.com/SGUZgm9cD6
— Brendon Leslie (@BrendonLeslie) September 24, 2025
🚨MSNBC reports: “Joshua Jahn is the I.C.E. shooter but he could of been shooting at them in celebration we just don’t know yet” 🤓🤡 pic.twitter.com/ljl4NTWssW
— Digital Gal 🇺🇸 (@DigitalGal_X) September 24, 2025
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, his older brother says Joshua wasn’t driven by any strong political beliefs — and didn’t harbor any specific resentment toward ICE.
“I didn’t think he was politically interested,” said Noah Jahn, speaking to NBC News. “He wasn’t interested in politics on either side as far as I knew. He didn’t have strong feelings about ICE as far as I knew.”
The statement challenges early speculation that the attack was ideologically motivated, potentially linked to anti-ICE sentiment that has become increasingly mainstream among far-left activists and politicians. Despite the violent target being a federal immigration office, Joshua was a registered independent, with no known history of political activism, according to NBC.
Records show his last vote was in November 2024, but there’s no indication of how he voted or what issues he supported.
The Jahn brothers were born and raised in Texas, and according to Noah, Joshua had talked about moving to Oklahoma to live on their parents’ property — a dream that speaks more to rural solitude than radical ideology.
As for weapons training, Joshua had some familiarity with firearms, but wasn’t what anyone would consider highly skilled.
“He’s not a marksman,” Noah emphasized. “He would not be able to make any shots like that.”
Noah also noted that while the family did own a rifle, there’s no evidence that Joshua had advanced tactical training or was preparing for any kind of violent act.
The last time Noah saw his brother was two weeks ago at their parents’ home, and there were no warning signs that anything was amiss.
“I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary,” he said.
The motive behind the attack remains under investigation. Law enforcement has yet to release details about any manifesto, online activity, or possible mental health history. But in the absence of a clear ideological motive, conservatives are raising questions about what role — if any — broader cultural hostility toward federal law enforcement might have played.
While the Biden administration continues to downplay rising anti-government sentiment on the left, incidents like this bring renewed focus to the dangers faced by law enforcement and federal agents, particularly those working for ICE, which has been vilified in activist circles and by some progressive lawmakers.
The Dallas facility had already come under threat: In August, an individual approached the same ICE office claiming to carry a bomb in a backpack. That suspect, identified as 36‑year‑old Bratton Dean Wilkinson, was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats.
This latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of attacks on federal immigration and border enforcement operations in Texas this year. On July 4, gunmen ambushed an ICE detention center in Alvarado, and just days later a shooter struck a Border Patrol facility in McAllen.
Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Greg Abbott, and other Republican leaders swiftly condemned the shooting and directly blamed inflammatory political rhetoric targeting ICE. One administration official publicly criticized comments by Texas Democrats likening ICE to “slave patrols,” calling them irresponsible and dangerous.
FBI Director Kash Patel, in a post on X, shared images of the engraved shell casing and described the Dallas attack as an “ideologically motivated” act, now under investigation as an example of targeted political violence.
As the investigation continues, officials are examining whether Jahn acted alone or was influenced by organized groups or extremist social networks. The tragic outcome has reignited a heated debate over how political leaders and media commentators discuss ICE and border security without encouraging violence.
