U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she is deploying Department of Justice (DOJ) agents to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in the aftermath of the shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas this week.
Newsweek reached out to ICE via email Friday night for additional comment.
Why It Matters
The shooting in Dallas, which resulted in the death of one detainee and serious injuries to two others, has triggered decisive federal action and reignited nationwide debate about the safety of federal law enforcement and the impact of online political discourse.
Bondi’s announcement of DOJ agent deployment underlines the federal government’s growing concern over the escalation of violence targeting immigration authorities. The attack, marked by explicit anti-ICE messages and subsequent widespread condemnation, highlights tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and the security of officers and detainees alike.
What To Know
In a post to X on Friday night, Bondi said: “I have witnessed the continued onslaught of violence perpetrated against ICE officers across our country. The Department of Justice will not stand idly by in the face of such lawlessness. At my direction, I am deploying DOJ agents to ICE facilities—and wherever ICE comes under siege—to safeguard federal agents, protect federal property, and immediately arrest all individuals engaged in any federal crime.
“Pursuant to President Trump’s recent executive action, I am also instructing the Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country to disrupt and investigate all entities and individuals engaged in acts of domestic terrorism, including the repeated acts of violence and obstruction against federal agents. The Department of Justice will seek the most serious available charges against all participants in these criminal mobs, including conspiracy offenses, assault offenses, civil disorder offenses, and terrorism offenses.
“While these never-ending attacks are designed to break our will, they only strengthen our resolve to complete the work begun. To that end, I have directed the FBI, DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency], ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives], and USMS [U.S. Marshals Service] to accelerate our efforts alongside the Department of Homeland Security to locate, apprehend, detain, prosecute, and remove all illegal aliens present in our country. The rule of law will prevail.”
The attack occurred on Wednesday at the ICE field office in Dallas. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the gunman, identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, fired “indiscriminately at the ICE building,” striking a van and the sally port area where the victims were found. All were ICE detainees; law enforcement personnel were unharmed. Jahn was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and authorities discovered shell casings inscribed with anti-ICE messages at the scene, DHS said.
The shooting led Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to declare in part that the attack “was motivated by hatred for ICE.”
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social Wednesday: “I have been briefed on the deadly shooting at the ICE Field Office in Dallas, Texas. It has now been revealed the deranged shooter wrote ‘Anti-ICE’ on his shell casings. This is despicable! The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists.
“This violence is the result of the Radical Left Democrats constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to ‘Nazis.’ The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, must be stopped. ICE Officers, and other Brave Members of Law Enforcement, are under grave threat. We have already declared ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization, and I will be signing an Executive Order this week to dismantle these Domestic Terrorism Networks. I AM CALLING ON ALL DEMOCRATS TO STOP THIS RHETORIC AGAINST ICE AND AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT NOW!
“The Trump Administration is fully committed to backing Law Enforcement, Strong Borders, securing our Homeland, deporting Violent Illegal Criminals, and fully rooting out the Left Wing Domestic Terrorism that is terrorizing our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
What Happens Next
The FBI, DHS and local law enforcement continue their investigation, examining evidence linked to the shooter’s motives and any possible affiliations. Meanwhile, DHS has ordered heightened security protocols at all ICE centers, with further reviews of facility safety measures underway.
The debate over the role of rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement tactics and its potential connection to violence remains active in the political and public sphere.
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