Vice President JD Vance delivered blistering remarks this week in the wake of a deadly sniper attack on a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, directly blaming Democrat leaders for what he called dangerous rhetoric that incites violence against federal officers.

“The very people who keep us safe ought to be honored and protected and praised by Democrats and Republicans alike. It is time to stop the rhetorical assault on law enforcement,” said Vance, speaking of ICE and other law enforcement.

“Because here’s what happens. When Democrats like Gavin Newsom did, say that these people are ‘part of an authoritarian government.’ When the left-wing media lies about what they’re doing – when they lie about who they’re arresting – when they lie about the actual job of law enforcement – what they’re doing is encouraging crazy people to go and commit 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, and you have no place in the political conversation of the United States of America,” Vance said.

 

DHS: ‘Despicable Rhetoric’ Has Consequences

The comments came just one day after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that two detainees were killed and a third critically wounded when a gunman opened fire on a transport van at the ICE Dallas field office. Officials said the suspect, later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, left behind shell casings engraved with “anti-ICE” messages.

“Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE. For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric … this shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences.”

Noem specifically cited comparisons of ICE agents to the Gestapo or slave patrols as examples of rhetoric that fuels violence.

FBI: Motive Appears Ideological

FBI Director Kash Patel said unspent shell casings recovered from the scene were engraved with anti-ICE slogans, pointing to a likely ideological motive.

“These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off,” Patel said, noting a July ambush at an ICE facility near Fort Worth that was linked to an Antifa member. “It has to end, and the FBI and our partners will see to it that those who target our law enforcement are pursued and brought to the fullest extent of justice.”

While the FBI has not publicly confirmed the suspect’s identity, multiple media outlets have reported that the gunman was 29-year-old Joshua Jahn.

Escalating Violence Against ICE

The Dallas shooting comes amid what DHS describes as a historic surge in violence against immigration enforcement personnel. DHS data show that assaults on ICE officers have risen by more than 1,000% in recent years — up sharply from a previously reported 500% spike.

The Dallas field office itself has been targeted repeatedly. Just last month, a 36-year-old man was arrested after allegedly threatening to detonate a bomb at the same facility.

Political Fallout

The attack — and Vance’s response — underscore the mounting tensions over federal immigration enforcement as ICE personnel face both escalating violence and growing hostility from left-wing activists and politicians.

With DHS and FBI officials now explicitly warning that rhetoric equating ICE to authoritarian forces has “very real consequences,” Vance’s remarks signal the White House intends to draw a direct line between Democrat messaging and the surge in politically motivated attacks.