On September 24, 2025 a sniper, later identified as Joshua Jahn, fired on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, Texas. In the past few years America has fallen victim to a multitude of targeted mass shootings. Schools, churches, government agencies, and individuals are all targets of the destructive weapon of the gun. Under the recent Trump administration ICE forces have heavily increased in border cities in California, Texas, and elsewhere.
Prior to this attack an order had been passed by Congress giving ICE the power to detain anyone they want with ‘reasonable suspicion’, raising many concerns over the misuse of power and potential for mass discrimination.
Reportedly, Jahn had been planning this attack for a while and even wrote everything down on his devices. FBI agent in charge, Joseph Rothrock stated that “Jahn specifically intended to kill ICE agents.” Jahn’s plans to take down federal employees, who he believed to be involved in human trafficking, did not go as he thought though. The sniper left one detainee dead and two others injured, leaving the actual agents unscathed. Nancy Larson, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas stated that, “this is the very definition of terrorism.”
Catholic worldviews align with the fact that violence is never the answer. Students at Cathedral Catholic had their own opinions about the shooting and ICE. When asked about the recent increase in armed forces enforcing immigration policies, senior Daniella Flores stated that, “I don’t think [Trump’s] going about it the right way, and the ICE raids and getting the National Guard, it’s all just too intense.” Flores is from an immigrant family from Mexico and has strong ties with the communities currently being raided for mass deportations. Flores also shared that, “there should be regulations on immigration, people shouldn’t just be coming in and out, but also having compassion is important, and seeing why they’re coming.”
While violence is never the answer, and guns should never be wielded as to intentionally injure or kill someone, the Second Amendment protects citizens rights to own devices for self protection. Gun violence in America has raised frequent concerns though of the lack of regulations on guns. When asked about gun violence and the changing opinions of Americans, senior Tim Hawkins shared that, “It’s not necessarily the gun’s fault, but more the people who have control over the gun.”
While these topics are at the front of many Americans’ minds right now, the issues are very polarizing, and misinformation is only making things worse. As students who are going to be future voters and independent citizens of America, it’s important to not just get your information from Tiktok, but to do further research when necessary and make informed decisions about your future and the futures of others.
