Police arrested a man for a bomb threat against ICE in Dallas earlier this week. Now, The Dallas Express has learned, he had previous run-ins with the law and was released from supervision just months prior.
The Bomb Threat
Bratton Dean Wilkinson, 36, arrived at the “reporting entrance” of the ICE Dallas Field Office on August 25, according to the press release. He claimed to have a bomb in his backpack around 6:37 p.m., and showed the security officer what he claimed was a “detonator” on his wrist.
So the officer called 911, and local police responded with the bomb squad. They issued a “shelter-in-place” order for the facility, home to the ICE Dallas Field Office and Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Local law enforcement ultimately arrested Wilkinson, now charged with making “terroristic threats.” Police said the scene was “all clear” at 7:19 p.m.
Trouble with the Law
Wilkinson was arrested in Austin for obstructing a highway or passageway on September 10, 2022, according to court records obtained by The Dallas Express.
He allegedly blocked W. 24th Street and Guadalupe Street in Austin that day – “intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly,” according to the documents. He was apprehended that evening.
An alcohol evaluation was apparently a condition of his bail at the time. He pled “nolo contendere” – accepting punishment without admitting guilt – on February 21, 2024.
A judge placed Wilkinson under “community supervision” for 12 months. This also required him to undergo “drug and alcohol” assessments, a “drunk driving panel,” and “counseling/treatment.” The order placed an “ignition interlock” – or a breathalyzer – on his car.
A judge ordered the removal of the breathalyzer on January 2, 2025.
On February 28, he was discharged from probation – just months before allegedly making a bomb threat against ICE in Dallas.
A Violent Pattern
Just two weeks before this latest incident, an ICE office in New York City received an envelope containing white powder. Less than a week ago, a rioter – in an Arab headdress – threatened to stab an ICE agent and target his family.
This comes after Antifa militants ambushed an ICE facility near Fort Worth on July 4, wounding a police officer in the neck, as The Dallas Express reported. Investigators uncovered evidence suggesting anarchist motives, and one alleged shooter had a long history of far-left activism in the area.
“These incidents come after months of smears and rhetoric by activists, politicians, and the media comparing ICE law enforcement to the Nazi Gestapo, kidnappers, and the Secret Police,” an unnamed “senior DHS official” said in the release. “All sanctuary politicians, activists, and the media need to turn down their temperature.”