A Dallas ICE field office shooting left one detainee dead and two injured after 29-year-old Joshua Jahn opened fire from a rooftop, guided by months of anti-government writings. His notes revealed a chilling plan to terrorize federal agents, but in a tragic twist, his bullets struck the very detainees he claimed he wanted to spare. The attack underscores escalating threats against immigration facilities in Texas, exposing how ideology, anger, and meticulous planning can fuel deadly violence.
A shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas has been linked to writings left behind by the gunman that prosecutors described as “definitively anti-ICE” and filled with anger toward the federal government. Investigators say the shooter, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn from Fairview, Texas, had been planning the attack for months and left behind detailed notes outlining his intentions. He fired at the ICE facility from the roof of a neighboring building early Wednesday morning, striking a van carrying detainees. One detainee was killed and two others injured, though no ICE agents were harmed. Authorities called the outcome a “tragic irony,” given Jahn’s writings made clear his intent was to terrorize federal agents.
The notes found at his home provided investigators with the clearest view of his motives, including a “game plan” for the attack and specific targeting of ICE personnel and property. He referred to ICE agents as people collecting a “dirty paycheck” and wrote that he wanted them to fear being “gunned down.” Officials said he hoped to minimize harm to detainees, though his actions ultimately had the opposite effect. Investigators also discovered shell casings inscribed with “ANTI ICE” and evidence that Jahn studied ICE operations, ballistics, and even past sniper attacks in preparation. His writings also suggested he did not expect to survive the incident. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before officers reached him.
The victims were detainees awaiting transfer to a larger facility. Authorities confirmed one of the injured was a Mexican national, prompting Mexico’s government to request clarity and access. The attack adds to a troubling pattern of threats and violence targeting ICE and Border Patrol facilities in Texas this year, fueled in part by rising tensions around immigration enforcement. While Jahn had no known organizational affiliations, his background revealed past drug charges, a short stint working at a cannabis farm, and sporadic studies at a local college. Law enforcement is continuing to analyze the evidence, while detainees once held at the Dallas office have been relocated for processing.
