Washington — The Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office where a gunman opened fire on Wednesday was also the target of an alleged bomb threat in August, underscoring a pattern of attacks and threats targeting federal facilities and officials in recent months.
On Wednesday, ICE said in a statement that a gunman began firing “indiscriminately” at the field office and its entryway early in the morning, killing two people and wounding a third. The Department of Homeland Security said that the three individuals who were shot were detainees. No ICE officials were injured, and the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot, according to ICE.
Joe Rothrock, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas office, said the bureau was investigating the shooting as an “act of targeted violence.”
“Early evidence that we’ve seen from rounds that were found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature,” Rothrock said at a news conference. FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photo on X showing a bullet with “ANTI-ICE” written on it.
“This isn’t the first time this location has been targeted; less than a month ago, a man walked in with what he claimed was a bomb. This violence must stop,” ICE said in its statement.
On Aug. 25, a 36-year-old man was arrested outside the same ICE facility after he approached security officers and showed them what he claimed to be a “detonator” on his wrist. The man, Bratton Dean Wilkinson, allegedly said he had a bomb in his backpack. A bomb squad cleared the scene and the suspect was charged with false reporting to induce an emergency response.
Officials have not identified the gunman in Wednesday’s shooting, and have not said whether the August bomb threat was related. But Homeland Security officials have highlighted a spate of threats and attacks against federal facilities and personnel, including two other recent incidents in Texas.
ICE has said law enforcement officials within the agency have faced a 1,000% increase in assaults since the beginning of the Trump administration, which has dramatically ramped up arrests and deportations.
On July 4, a police officer was shot in the neck outside an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. Officials have called the attack a “planned ambush.” Ten suspects have been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted, each faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years to life in prison.
Three days later, on July 7, a shooter opened fire at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. Two officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured. The gunman, identified as 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda, had an assault rifle and was carrying a utility vest, officials said. Mosqueda died after Border Patrol agents and local police returned fire.
On Aug. 15, a threatening letter with what was determined to be a non-hazardous white powdery substance was sent to an ICE office in New York City. Sources told CBS News New York there were a total of five envelopes received with letters containing “anti-ICE rhetoric.”
Also in August, an anti-ICE protester was charged with assault and destruction of federal property in San Francisco. According to court filings, 35-year-old Adrian Guerrero of Oakland, California, allegedly slashed the tire of a government vehicle and threatened to stab a law enforcement officer during a targeted law enforcement operation. He allegedly made repeated threats against law enforcement in San Francisco, warning, “I’m going to f— you up,” and “I’m going to go after your family,” according to court papers. DHS said Guerrero was part of a group of roughly 15 to 20 violent rioters who assaulted, grabbed, punched and pepper-sprayed ICE agents.
