Vice President JD Vance criticized inflammatory political rhetoric that targets law enforcement following a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas on Wednesday. The attack left three detainees shot, one of whom later died. The shooter also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and no ICE officers were harmed.
Political rhetoric linked to violence
Speaking during a visit to North Carolina, Vance stressed that demonizing law enforcement encourages violence.
“You don’t have to agree with my immigration policies. You don’t have to agree with Donald Trump’s immigration policies. But if your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell,” Vance said. “And you have no place in the political conversation of the United States of America.”
He further condemned comparisons of law enforcement to oppressive regimes:
“If you want to stop political violence, stop attacking our law enforcement as the Gestapo. If you want to stop political violence, stop telling your supporters that everybody who disagrees with you is a Nazi. If you want to stop political violence, look in the mirror. That’s the way that we stop political violence in this country.”
Investigation and details of the attack
The FBI confirmed it is investigating the incident as a “targeted attack” against ICE. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that shell casing recovered at the scene contained “anti-ICE” message.
“Look, just because we don’t support illegal aliens, we don’t want them to be executed by violent assassins engaged in political violence either,” Vance added. “So we’re praying both for our ICE agents, but also for everybody who’s affected by this terrible attack.”
Rising violence against ICE
The Dallas shooting is part of a troubling trend. DHS reported in July that assaults on ICE officers and other federal immigration agents have surged nearly 700% compared to 2024. The agency recorded 10 assaults between January and June 2024, which rose to 79 during the same period in 2025.
Other recent incidents include a July shooting near ICE’s Prairieland, Texas, Detention Facility, where a police officer was shot in the neck.
