Dallas ICE shooting spurs debate over rhetoric toward noncitizens

Dallas — A gunman opened fire Wednesday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas, wounding three people, two fatally, before law enforcement arrested the suspect. The FBI said the attack is being investigated as a targeted act against ICE, noting that investigators recovered anti-ICE messaging on bullet rounds found near the shooter.

On MSNBC, a panel on Chris Jansing Reports discussed the shooting in the context of rhetoric toward noncitizens. Veronica Cardenas, a former ICE assistant chief counsel, argued that dehumanizing language has contributed to the danger faced by ICE agents, pointing to a Homeland Security video she said used dehumanizing imagery and a framing that likened noncitizens to a target. The discussion touched on how arrests of noncitizens are described in public narratives and the need to rely on due process rather than presumption of guilt. "The way you fix this is by really ensuring that due process is played out in these arrests, in targeting noncitizens," Cardenas said. She added that the term noncitizens is often framed in a way that implies guilt before proof and can inflame violence. The segment followed a DHS-produced message she described as contributing to dehumanization, and Jansing pressed for ways to reduce the temperature in political rhetoric that touches law enforcement and immigration.

MSNBC national security analyst Christopher O’Leary expanded on the broader backdrop, arguing that the incident did not occur in a vacuum. He suggested a decade of polarization, driven in part by attacks on institutions, disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories, has helped create the conditions for political violence when paired with aggressive law-enforcement tactics. “We have a decade of intentionally attacking institutions, disinformation, misinformation, conspiracy theories, which led to polarization in society,” O’Leary said. “Political violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s in response to a real or perceived grievance that somebody has.” He stressed that responding to such grievances must not justify violence but should address underlying tensions.

Joshua Johnson, acting Dallas field office director, spoke at a later press briefing and criticized the rhetoric targeting ICE agents, saying it contributes to real harm. "The rhetoric has to stop. There are people out there who are seeing what is being placed online, and they’re coming. And they’re doing acts of violence against ICE employees. It’s just got to stop. It’s dangerous, and people are losing their lives," Johnson said. The remarks echoed the panel’s cautions about language that dehumanizes migrants and frames enforcement actions as punitive toward a vulnerable population.

In coverage noting the political angles of the incident, Fox News Digital reported that MSNBC was contacted for comment on the segment. The Dallas shooting prompted discussions about the role of media rhetoric in shaping public perception of immigration enforcement and the safety of federal workers.

A separate exchange involving commentators connected the incident to broader political currents. One MSNBC contributor described some supporters of former President Trump as taking pleasure in seeing ICE targeted by rhetoric that frames agents as ‘slave catchers,’ a characterization the network cited as part of the broader debate over language and violence. The note, echoed by other outlets covering the incident, underscored how political discourse around immigration policy can intersect with real-world actions. The note’s framing appeared in the same thread of reporting that cited the discovery of anti-ICE messaging on the ammunition recovered near the shooter.

Authorities have said the gunman acted alone, and the FBI released information about the investigation as it continues to determine the attacker’s motive and any possible ties to broader groups or narratives. Investigators are reviewing social-media posts and other materials tied to the incident, in addition to the physical evidence recovered at the scene. The agency has emphasized that the case is being handled as a targeted assault on ICE personnel, rather than a random act of violence.

The episode has intensified a national conversation about how immigration enforcement is discussed publicly and how that discourse may influence behavior. Officials from multiple agencies have urged leaders to model responsible rhetoric and to focus on due process and lawful enforcement while addressing public concerns about border security and migrant policy. As investigators compile a fuller timeline of events, prosecutors and federal agents say it remains critical to avoid inflaming tensions that could put officials and the public at risk.