'Despicable': President Trump blames 'anti-ICE' rhetoric for shooting at Dallas facility
A gunman opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas, killing at least one person and wounding two others before taking his own life, prompting political debate over anti-ICE rhetoric. President Donald Trump condemned the attack, calling it "despicable" and blaming anti-ICE rhetoric on the left. The President also vowed to sign an executive order "this week to dismantle these Domestic Terrorism Networks."Investigators have not confirmed an official motive but stated the attack was not random.Joe Rothrock from the FBI Dallas Field Office said, "I can confirm, at this time, that the FBI is investigating this incident as an act of targeted violence."FBI Director Kash Patel released a photo of ammunition found at the scene with the words "anti ICE" on it. Authorities reported that the shooter fired indiscriminately from a nearby apartment building, striking three detainees inside a transportation van, while no ICE agents were injured. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the shooter took their own life.Joshua Johnson, ICE Dallas acting field office director, emphasized the need to stop the rhetoric, stating, "The takeaway from all of this is that the rhetoric has to stop. There are people out there who are — are seeing what is being placed online, and they're coming and they're doing acts of violence against ICE employees."The attack is the latest in a series of targeted killings in the U.S., following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah two weeks ago. It marks at least the third attack on immigration officers in Texas in recent months. A police officer was wounded in a July 4 attack at a Texas immigration detention center, and three days later, another officer was hurt and a gunman was killed during a separate shooting at a border patrol facility.The incident has sparked sharp political debate in Washington over rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement. Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, said that political rhetoric has gone too far."Your political opponents are not Nazis," Cruz said. "The divisive rhetoric tragically has real consequences."Meanwhile, Democrats like Rep. Marc Veasey claim officials were "controlling the narrative" by delaying confirmation that detainees were the victims.Rep. Becca Balint, a Democrat from Vermont, said, "Members of both parties want to bring down the temperature. And we are not seeing that from the person at the top." She added, "The president has the ability today, right now, to take to the airwaves and say, it is time to stop this political violence."
