Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calls Dallas ICE facility shooting "an assault on the federal government"
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reacted to the fatal shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas on Wednesday morning, "it's horrific."
One dead, two others injured in Dallas
One detainee was killed and two others are in critical condition following the shooting, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
CBS News Texas spoke to Abbott following a previously scheduled event for the Second Annual TxEDC Investor Summit Fireside Chat in Westlake.
"This is an assault now."
The governor had initially called the shooting an assassination in a post online following the shooting.
Abbott's post on X read: "Texas fully supports ICE 100%. Both the Texas Dept. of Public Safety & Texas National Guard work closely with ICE. This assassination will NOT slow our arrest, detention, & deportation of illegal immigrants. We will work with ICE & the Dallas Police Dept. to get to the bottom of the assassin's motive. We will offer ICE additional support to assist their operations."
He later backtracked and called it an attempted assassination. When asked why, he responded, "Any loss of life is bad, but this is an assault now. Not just on ICE agents. This is an assault on the federal government simply trying to enforce the law. This is unacceptable. Unacceptable to see these multiple high number of attacks on ICE on law enforcement. It's an attack against our country itself."
Attacks against ICE in Texas
This is the third incident at an ICE facility in Texas, and the second in Dallas this year. Approximately a month prior, a man was taken into custody and later charged with making terroristic threats, DHS said.
Prior to that, a Fourth of July attack at a Texas immigration detention center injured a police officer, who was shot in the neck.
Attackers dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, federal prosecutors said. At least 11 people have been charged in connection with the attack.
Securing federal facilities
Abbott has pledged cooperation with the investigation.
"Texas has been helping out ever since the Trump administration took over," explained Abbott. "DPS is working alongside ICE. They were there on the scene. Moments after this happened this morning. They've been working with us in the aftermath of these other tragedies caused by people who are attacking ICE members. The National Guard they are deputized to help either Border Patrol or even assigned to help ICE."
"We need to double down on explaining that it's completely unacceptable to have these attacks first on life itself," Abbott said in regard to assisting to secure federal facilities. "But second, on our own government, and such hostile acts against our government must be swiftly and harshly punished."
Texas, U.S. leaders condemn the deadly Dallas ICE office shooting
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also denounced the shooting during a news conference in Dallas on Wednesday, hours after the shooting.
"This is the third shooting in Texas directed at ICE or CBP," he said. "This must stop. Violence is wrong; politically-motivated violence is wrong. Violence has no place. It is wrong and we should come together. If we want to have a debate on immigration policies, we can do so in the halls of Congress without demonizing each other."
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, said, "Elected leaders and government officials must rely on verified facts from law enforcement, not speculation that fuels fear or division. My thoughts are with the victims and their families."
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, said in a statement, "We do not yet know every fact or the shooter's motivation, but we do know this: innocent lives were stolen in a place that should have been safe. No one - whether in detention, in uniform, or simply present - should ever have to face the terror of senseless gun violence."
President Trump posted on Truth Social that he was briefed on the shooting in Dallas. He called the "anti-ICE" phrase found engraved on one of the recovered unspent shell casings "despicable."