Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has ordered an increase in security outside immigration detention centers across the nation after a fatal shooting at a facility in Texas.
"Secretary Noem has ordered that we have enhanced security around our detention facilities and around our field offices across the country," Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told Fox Business.
The shooting in Dallas on Wednesday is the latest in a series of attacks on ICE facilities in recent months, amid the agency's continued efforts to implement President Donald Trump's hard-line mass deportation agenda. ICE has become a highly polarizing agency under the current administration, with some viewing it as an essential tool for upholding the rule of law, while critics see it as a symbol of draconian immigration policies.
One ICE detainee was killed and two others were critically injured in a shooting at a Dallas immigration detention facility on Wednesday, DHS confirmed. Earlier reports from the department had stated that two detainees had died and one was wounded.
The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who was also found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.
In a Wednesday afternoon statement, DHS said the gunman fired "indiscriminately at the ICE building," including at a van in the sally port where the detainees were shot. All three victims were ICE detainees. No law enforcement personnel were injured or killed, although the department described the incident as "an attack on ICE law enforcement."
At a press conference, FBI officials said ammunition recovered near the suspected shooter contained markings that read "anti-ICE," raising concerns about potential threats to immigration enforcement personnel.
FBI Director Kash Patel shared a photo of the casings on X, noting that the markings appeared to indicate an ideological motive linked to anti-ICE sentiment.
A bomb threat was reported last month at the same ICE facility where the shooting occurred on Wednesday, according to DHS. A 36-year-old man, later identified as Bratton Dean Wilkinson, claimed to have a bomb in his backpack at the facility's entrance.
He showed a security officer what he said was a detonator, prompting a shelter-in-place and a response from local police and a bomb squad. Wilkinson was taken into custody and charged with making terroristic threats, DHS said.
Meanwhile, California officials have increased patrols in the areas surrounding the GEO Adelanto ICE Processing Center after the Dallas incident.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a press release it has stepped up patrols "out of an abundance of caution" and is "actively monitoring potential threats in coordination with our federal partners."
San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement: "With all the violence happening across the country, your deputies remain vigilant. Please partner with us and if you see something, say something, even threats on social media. We will respond in a significant manner to any extremist activity in this county."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press release: "Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement. This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE. For months, we've been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed.
"This shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences. Comparing ICE Day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences."
President Donald Trump wrote in a post on X: "It has now been revealed the deranged shooter wrote 'Anti-ICE' on his shell casings. This is despicable!"
Security measures at ICE facilities nationwide will remain heightened. DHS and local law enforcement continue to monitor potential threats to ensure the safety of detainees and staff.