Though the official motive has not been confirmed, FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday that evidence recovered from the deadly sniper attack at a Dallas ICE facility suggests the shooter was driven by ideology.

Patel posted on X that one of the unspent shell casings at the scene was engraved with the phrase “ANTI ICE.” He said FBI agents, working alongside DHS, ATF, Dallas police, and state authorities, are leading the investigation.

 

“These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off. We are only miles from Prarieland, Texas where just two months ago an individual ambushed a separate ICE facility targeting their officers. It has to end and the FBI and our partners will lead these investigative efforts to see to it that those who target our law enforcement are pursued and brought to the fullest extent of justice,” continued Patel in his post.

Patel confirmed that no law enforcement officers were harmed in the Dallas shooting, which left one ICE detainee confirmed dead, two others wounded, and the suspected gunman dead by suicide.

The shooting comes amid a historic surge in violence directed at immigration enforcement personnel. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported this week that assaults on ICE officers have risen by more than 1,000% in recent years.

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DHS data earlier showed a 500% spike in assaults, underscoring the escalating hostility toward federal immigration officers. In July, authorities arrested Antifa member Benjamin Song as the 14th suspect in an ambush targeting an ICE detention facility near Fort Worth.

While Patel highlighted the engraved casing as evidence of motive, FBI officials emphasized Wednesday that the investigation remains ongoing. The Bureau confirmed only that multiple bullet rounds recovered at the scene contained “anti-ICE” messaging. The suspect has not yet been publicly identified at the time of publication.