A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, USA has been the scene of a deadly shooting. One detainee has been killed, with two others seriously wounded. The suspected gunman, Joshua Jahn, then took his own life.

Beleaguered FBI director, Kash Patel, rushed to social media to share the following:

This morning just before 7am local time, an individual fired multiple rounds at a Dallas, Texas ICE facility, killing one, wounding several others, before taking his own life. FBI, DHS, ATF are on the ground with Dallas PD and state authorities.

While the investigation is… pic.twitter.com/SMOyxiKLqA

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 24, 2025

Patel’s publicization of one of the bullet casings having “ANTI-ICE” scrawled upon it has been taken as proof from prominent Republicans that the shooter was in some manner left-wing.

However, something approximating the truth is much murkier.

Dallas ICE shooter

The shooter attacked the ICE building with indiscriminate fire. Bullets were found scattered throughout the entire building. Donald Trump immediately responded in typical bombastic style:

This violence is the result of the Radical Left Democrats constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to ‘Nazis.

He concluded:

I AM CALLING ON ALL DEMOCRATS TO STOP THIS RHETORIC AGAINST ICE AND AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT NOW!

Of course, many Democrats have decried the shooter. And, the FBI have claimed that notes from the shooter confirm he was targeting ICE agents, not detainees at the facility. No ICE officers were injured.

But, it would appear the etchings on the bullet cases are enough for Republicans. Vice president JD Vance said:

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.

And, the shooting came just days after Trump designated “antifa” a terrorist organisation via executive order. The problem with such a move is that “antifa” does not exist; it is a general move towards anti-fascism that rejects state authoritarianism and racism. It is not an organisation, nor does it have leaders or proponents. Trump’s executive order is akin to banning air – he can ban whatever he likes, but it isn’t a concrete entity that can be corralled. Former FBI director, Christopher Wray, who served under Trump’s first term has likened antifa to an ideology, not an organisation.

Nevertheless, as is often the case with Trump’s orders, the legal and logistical feasibility is not the point. Instead, it’s an attempt to appear to be cracking down on a supposed threat from the so-called “radical left.”

Motivations of shooter

Despite Republicans attempting to characterise the Dallas ICE shooter as firmly anti-ICE, things appear much murkier. Journalist Ken Klippenstein spoke to a number of friends previously known by Jahn. Klippenstein spoke to three former friends of the shooter who had known him since middle school, and found that:

None of his former friends believed that the “ANTI-ICE” inscription could possibly be sincere, feeling such a serious political statement was anathema to who Jahn was. His humor was deeply ironic, often offensive and aggressive to the point of alienation.

Instead, they paint a picture of a social recluse who spent a lot of time video gaming and on chat forum 4chan.

Klippenstein reported:

Among the dozen or so usernames he used was one reading “#Impeachment.” When I asked if this wasn’t a clear reference to anti-Trump politics, his friends recoiled at the idea that he would express opposition to Trump so sincerely and straightforwardly. Instead they saw it as part of his broader ironic persona, poking fun at anti-Trump “resistance” types.

One friend who said they had known Jahn since he was 8 said:

He was never really into politics, especially not politicians. He was into politics only in the 4chan sense — contrarian, provocative, boundary-pushing for laughs, not conviction.

Pattern amongst shooters

Of course, the likes of Trump, Vance, and Patel are uninterested in the nuance or, rather, the absolute basic details, of the shooter’s motivations. Recent prominent shootings in the US have followed a similar pattern where engravings on bullets tell a certain story but a background check of the shooter further complicates things. Tyler Robinson, who shot and killed notorious racist Charlie Kirk, engraved messages on bullet casings including:

notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?Hey, fascist! Catch ↑ → ↓↓↓Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

Amongst the initial fevered response to the shooting, it appeared that Robinson may have been an anti-fascist. However, as reported by the Canary, certain findings about the shooter suggest he was a “gun-loving Trump supporter.” Similar to Jahn, Robinson was also extremely online and involved in internet sub-cultures that deal in deep irony.

And, even Luigi Mangione who has been charged with the murder of a healthcare CEO is said to have a mix of political views that span across both the left- and right-wing.

Ultimately, for all three shooters the assessment from Wired Magazine appears apt:

The memes and online footprint of Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson don’t place him neatly in a box, though many are still trying.

Open season

Trump and various prominent Republicans have declared open season on what they see as the radical left, or antifa. Undoubtedly, their efforts have been fuelled by the prominent shootings of recent times. However, the reality is less cut and dry. But, what is clear is that Trump is more than willing to spin events to any scenario where left-wing politics and resistance are demonised.

However, as ever with Trump, the threat of legal action is a constant. His former FBI director, James Comey, has just been indicted by the US state of Virginia. And, the charges levied at him are one count of making false statements in testimony to Congress, and one count of obstruction of justice. The people the president surrounds himself with are invariably sucked into a Trumpian web of lies and deceit. Given Kash Patel and JD Vance’s faltering performances, it feels like it won’t be very long before they’re in Comey’s position.

Try as Trump might, his desperate attempts at spin just keep falling flat.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/CBS Evening News

By Maryam Jameela

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