CNA Staff, Sep 24, 2025 / 17:38 pm (CNA).
Politicians and Catholic bishops are calling for prayer and an end to political violence after two ICE detainees were killed and another critically injured in a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas on Wednesday morning.
Police sources say the shooter, identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, was armed with a rifle on a roof and took his own life just after 6:30 a.m., according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. No ICE officers were injured in the attack.
FBI Special Agent Joseph Rothrock said during a press conference this morning that rounds found near the deceased shooter had anti-ICE messages inscribed on them.
Eric Johnson, Dallas’ Republican mayor, opened the press conference asking all present to pray with him: “Let me start off by saying that I’m a person who believes very, very strongly in the power of prayer and that prayer changes things.”
“And so I’m going to ask everyone please join me in praying for the families of the folks who lost their lives today. Pray for the speedy recovery for those who are hurt or injured in what happened today, but maybe even more to the point, we’re a country and a city that needs prayer,” Johnson said.
On a post on social media platform X this morning, Vice President JD Vance said: “The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop. I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families.”
Several Catholic bishops have also expressed their dismay over the violence and have asked people to pray.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco called the violence in Dallas this morning “senseless” and “politically motivated” in a social media post.
He wrote that changes in policy might be necessary but are “not enough,” saying: “This is, at its core, a spiritual crisis. Much prayer is needed, indeed, essential. It is not irrelevant fluff, nor an excuse to simply acknowledge the tragedy and move on. Without help from above, there is no way out.”
He quoted Erika Kirk, whose husband, conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk, was recently assassinated in Utah: “‘Choose prayer, choose courage, choose beauty, choose adventure, choose family. Choose a life of faith. Most importantly, choose Christ.’”
Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, also called for prayers for the victims on a social media post: “The murder of two migrants by a gunman at a Dallas ICE facility today is the latest sign of America’s desperate need for God. I invite you to join me in prayer for the deceased. May God’s grace transform hearts and our nation and eradicate every vicious hatred from our hearts.”
The shooting took place on the third day of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) National Migration Week, a time in which Catholics are called to “reflect on our history as an immigrant Church and the ways in which our country has been enriched by generations of immigrants, including the many Catholics who have adopted this land as their own.”
“At a time when our culture is dominated by deep political divisions and reasonable disagreements about immigration policy, progress can feel impossible,” the USCCB website states. “But by witnessing to the God-given dignity of every person, including the migrants and refugees in our midst, we pave the way for an approach rooted in mercy, justice, and the common good.”
The USCCB has asked Catholics to sign the Cabrini Pledge as “a reminder of our immigrant heritage and a call to deeper engagement with our faith in response to current events.”
At the press conference this morning, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the political violence “has to stop,” recalling that the incident is the third shooting in Texas in the last few months against ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“To politicians demanding ICE agents be doxxed: ‘Stop!’ Cruz said. “We disagree, and that’s part of the [political] process in America, but your political opponents are not Nazis.”
Cruz called for prayer for the safety of law enforcement, “who risk their lives to keep us alive,” and for the victims and their families.
“Violence has no place, it is wrong,” Cruz continued. He said debates about immigration can occur in the “halls of Congress, without demonizing each other, and especially not demonizing the men and women who keep us safe.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a social media post this morning said the state “fully supports ICE,” saying the incident “will not slow our arrest, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants.”
He also said the state would work with local police and ICE to discover the shooter’s motive.
According to a CNN analysis of ICE data from a research group affiliated with the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, the ICE facility in Dallas generally holds “several dozen” detainees at a time. It held more than 8,000 temporarily detained persons over the first six months of the Trump administration (according to the analyzed data, which ran through the end of July).
Most of the facility’s detainees were kept in hold rooms for less than a day, or an average of 14 hours, before being moved to longer-term detention centers or other ICE facilities.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Leave a Reply