Dallas law enforcement officials said four people were shot and two people killed, including the shooter, at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office there on Wednesday morning.
Despite multiple reports citing police sources saying that detainees were among those shot, officials declined to provide much information about the victims. They acknowledged that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and added that no law enforcement officer was injured. But they would not confirm the reports about detainees being among those shot.
“I hope that every one of us will pray, number one, for the safety of law enforcement that are risking their lives to keep us safe; number two, for the health of those who were shot and injured today,” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told reporters at a Dallas Police Department news conference on Wednesday. “We still don’t know the full details of who was injured, but for the families also of the victims of this shooting.”
When a reporter asked him about detainees, Cruz again declined to offer details about who the victims were, stating he wanted to wait for more information from law enforcement.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told CNN before the news conference that “preliminary information is a possible sniper,” and local police sent NOTUS a statement that said “a suspect opened fire at a government building from an adjacent building.”
FBI Director Kash Patel posted an image of unspent shell casings he said were found, one labeled “ANTI-ICE.”
This morning just before 7am local time, an individual fired multiple rounds at a Dallas, Texas ICE facility, killing one, wounding several others, before taking his own life. FBI, DHS, ATF are on the ground with Dallas PD and state authorities.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 24, 2025
While the investigation is… pic.twitter.com/Qyl65CrekB
“While the investigation is ongoing, an initial review of the evidence shows an idealogical motive behind this attack,” Patel wrote on X. “These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off.”
The special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, Joseph Rothrock, said the agency is “investigating this incident as an act of targeted violence.”
“Early evidence that we’ve seen from rounds that were found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature,” Rothrock told reporters at the news conference.
Law enforcement sources told multiple publications before the press conference that two of the people shot were detainees who were being held at the field office, a practice that drew protests over the summer from people who claimed the facility had “inhumane” conditions. ICE denied those allegations in July.
The incident marks at least the third time this year that DHS’s immigration facilities in Texas have been targeted with gunfire — on July 4, a group of people attacked a detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, leading to a firefight that injured two officers and one Border Patrol agent. That happened just three days before a Michigan man allegedly shot an officer at a McAllen facility.
Republicans were fast to focus the narrative around safety threats to law enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also tied the shooting to what DHS has been calling a spike of violence against its personnel.
“While we don’t know motive yet, we know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them. It must stop,” Noem wrote in a statement that DHS provided to NOTUS.
“The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop. I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families,” Vice President JD Vance posted on X.
Prior to the press conference, some Republican members of Congress were already blaming Democrats, or the “radical Left,” for the shooting, despite the lack of clarity around motive.
“The liberal media keeps telling you there’s no connection between constant Democrat attacks on @ICEgov and repeated attempts to hurt and kill our brave agents,” Rep. Darrell Issa of California posted.
Like Noem, Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia acknowledged the motive is unclear, but pointed to a “spike in violence” against ICE agents.
“While we don’t know motive, we do know this: The spike in violence against ICE officers must END, and those responsible for perpetuating it must be held accountable,” Carter posted.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.