A sniper opened fire Wednesday morning on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas, killing one person and wounding at least two others before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot as law enforcement closed in, authorities said.

Shots were fired from a nearby rooftop around daybreak, targeting the ICE facility off I-35E. No ICE agents were reported injured; the victims were detainees being processed at the site, according to early reports.

The FBI is treating the incident as a targeted act of violence while withholding the suspect’s identity pending next-of-kin notification.

Federal officials briefed media that at least one unused round recovered near the suspect was etched with “ANTI-ICE.” The FBI shared an image of the marked casing; the discovery has become central to the working theory on motive.

2025 Has Seen Rising Attacks on ICE and DHS Facilities

The Dallas shooting follows a July 4 “planned ambush” on ICE’s Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, where ten suspects were charged with attempted murder after a coordinated assault that left a local officer shot in the neck.

ICE and state officials said the group arrived with tactical gear, launched fireworks to draw officers out, and opened fire.

Homeland Security says assaults against ICE personnel have surged this year during enforcement operations; DHS publicly cited a 500% increase in reported assaults as of June 20, 2025 (figures that have since been debated in the press, but nonetheless reflect DHS’s official posture).

The Political Rhetoric Front: “Unmask ICE” Push

At the same time, leading Democrats have advanced legislation to ban masks and require visible identification for immigration agents during public-facing operations.

On July 8, 2025, Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the VISIBLE Act, arguing that masked, unmarked agents erode trust and endanger the public.

“For weeks, Americans have watched federal agents with no visible identification detain people off the streets and instill fear in communities… The lack of visible identification… has created confusion, stoked fear, and undermined public trust,” Sen. Booker said in announcing the bill. Sen. Padilla added: “When federal immigration agents show up… with their face obscured and no visible identification, it only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability.”

Companion or parallel efforts have surfaced in the House — e.g., H.R. 4004 (No Anonymity in Immigration Enforcement Act) — likewise restricting face coverings and requiring clear ID during operations.

Separately, California moved to bar most law-enforcement masking in the state, with Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a bill on Sept. 20, 2025 limiting face coverings by federal immigration agents during visible operations, while allowing narrow safety and undercover exceptions. (Legal fights over state power to regulate federal agents are expected.)

Further exacerbating tensions, critics of ICE have likened detention conditions to “concentration camps,” rhetoric most prominently associated with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019. 

That comparison — widely condemned by opponents — is not new to 2025 but remains part of the long-running debate over immigration enforcement.

What We Know Right Now (Dallas ICE Shooting)

When/where: Early morning, Sept. 24, 2025, Dallas ICE field office (I-35E corridor).

Casualties: 1 dead, at least 2 wounded (detainees); no ICE agents reported injured.

Shooter: Deceased by self-inflicted gunshot; identity not yet released at time of publication.

Evidence: Ammunition engraved “ANTI-ICE.”

Status: FBI and local police treating as targeted, ideologically motivated; investigation ongoing.

Texas Gun Rights Responds

Chris McNutt, president of Texas Gun Rights, blasted the climate of political rhetoric surrounding ICE and immigration enforcement, tying it to broader attacks on the Second Amendment:

“Enough is enough. The same voices stoking the flames of hatred and violence — the ones who demonize law-enforcement, cheer on attacks, and sanitize threats against federal agents — are the very people demanding radical gun-grab policies that would disarm peaceful, law-abiding Americans. You cannot fan the flames and then pretend to be surprised when the fire spreads. If you genuinely care about safety, stop encouraging violence and stop stripping away the rights of those who lawfully defend themselves. It must end immediately.” — Chris McNutt, President, Texas Gun Rights

The Dallas attack landed just two weeks after the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, an incident that has intensified national concern about ideologically motivated violence. 

Texas Gun Rights will never back down from defending the Second Amendment and exposing the left’s escalating attacks on our freedoms. Chip in whatever you can today to help us stay vigilant and keep fighting for law-abiding Texans against those who would disarm and silence us.