Series of Anti-ICE Incidents Triggers National Concern
An incident took place on a Tuesday morning, identified as a ‘targeted act of violence,’ was targeted at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility situated in Dallas. This is among several such incidents happening during the Trump administrations, reportedly driven by individuals with a leftist agenda. Preliminary findings suggest that rounds located in close proximity to the alleged shooter display anti-ICE sentiments, as announced by the FBI officer overseeing the Dallas Field Office.
Further evidence was made public when the FBI shared an image showing shell casings that were reportedly discovered close to the shooter’s location. Strikingly, one of the casings was found to have ‘ANTI-ICE’ scribbled on it using ink. A series of attacks on ICE facilities and their employees have been recorded in the past, some of which are outlined below.
On September 24, 2025, a shocking incident occurred in Dallas, Texas. A man, 29 years of age and named Joshua Jahn, was accused of firing shots at an ICE facility using a rifle. The gunfire, alleged to be sporadic and untargeted, led to three ICE detainees being hit while being transported in an unmarked van. The man ended his life around 7 a.m. just after the shooting spree. Unfortunately, one of the detainees did not survive.
A few days earlier, on September 19, 2025, there was an act of protest in Broadview, Illinois. A significant number of people protesting against ICE assembled outside an ICE processing center positioned in a Chicago suburb. The protest began in the early morning hours, with the demonstrators effectively blocking access to the facility. Upon witnessing a white SUV trying to leave the premises, the crowd began to surround the vehicle in an attempt to restrict its movement. The situation lead to the use of tear gas and non-lethal projectiles to control the crowd.
An incident in Portland, Oregon, on the first day of September 2025 heightened tensions. ICE agents found themselves in a confrontation with protestors just outside an ICE facility, finally resorting to tear gas to disperse the crowd. One protestor heightened the intensity of the situation by moving a guillotine into the center of the conflict zone and placing it prominently in front of the facility.
An ICE building in Yakima, Washington, was targeted on August 5, 2025. An unidentified person was suspected to have acted with malicious intent, throwing a rock through a window of the ICE building prior to igniting a fire.
Violence escalated on July 31, 2025, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jose Mendez-Chavez, 31 years in age with a criminal record of child abuse and domestic violence, and having been previously deported six times, reportedly attempted to run down ICE agents with his vehicle during an operation. Though Mendez-Chavez managed to evade capture, his passenger, Francisco Zapata-Pacheco, was apprehended soon after the incident.
On July 4, 2025, as the United States celebrated Independence Day, the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas faced a violent assault by around a dozen individuals. Gunshots were fired towards the facility and a local law enforcement officer was hit in the neck. After a manhunt lasting a week, a suspect, Benjamin Song, was arrested. This individual, who was linked to three counts each of attempted murder of federal officers and firearm discharge in relation to a violent crime, is known to be associated with Antifa.
In a lawsuit dating back to 2023, Benjamin Song has been connected to the far-left John Brown Gun Club’s Elm Fork chapter. An incident in Portland, Oregon, in June of 2025, witnessed violent confrontations between protestors and ICE officials outside the local ICE facility. This conflict continued for around a week. ‘These individuals ultimately, five were arrested on charges that included assault on federal law enforcement. We won’t just stand by and allow these cowards [to break the law],’ ICE proclaimed.
Prior to these, several ICE agents had suffered injuries when a crowd launched fireworks, smoke grenades, and rocks towards them. In addition, the angry mob broke windows and forced their way into the facility. The facility was eventually secured using tear gas and non-lethal projectiles.
Violent attacks on ICE facilities were also prevalent during the first Trump presidency. An incident from August 13, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas, presents an example of such attacks. During this incident, unknown assailants fired gunshots at ICE’s Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) in the city. The FBI’s special agent in charge of the San Antonio division referred to these shootings as ‘cowardly, brazen, violent acts, without any justification, representing a threat to our entire community.’
An assault on federal employees represents a serious federal crime. The FBI is committed to following all potential leads in these cases to find those responsible, relentlessly pursued the special agent. Unfortunately, however, no arrests were ever made in this case.
One of the most significant instances of anti-ICE violence took place on July 13, 2019, in Tacoma, Washington. Willem van Spronsen, identified as a member of the Puget Sound chapter of the John Brown Gun Club, tried to orchestrate an explosion by setting cars on the facility’s property aflame and throwing Molotov cocktails. Agents ultimately took him down as he attempted to light a propane container.