In a gripping account, two ICE officers and a staff member, recently recognized for their bravery, detailed the harrowing events of the 2025 sniper attack on the Dallas ICE Field Office. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin awarded them for their courageous actions on that fateful day. The officers spoke exclusively to Fox News, shedding light on the incident and expressing concern over increasing threats facing ICE personnel nationwide.
During the attack, a sniper unleashed 17 shots from a nearby rooftop, targeting the Dallas facility. Among those honored was Marco Solis, a deportation officer, who vividly recalled the chaos as bullets pierced the building.
“I was at my desk when I felt something hit my head,” Solis recounted. It turned out to be debris from the bullet-riddled walls. Initially bewildered by the source, Solis soon realized the gravity of the situation. “You just hear a snap through the door, window, or walls. It wasn’t until a second shot came through the wall and I saw it tumble on the roof that I understood we were dealing with an active shooter,” he explained.
The officers described how the situation rapidly escalated into a critical rescue operation as detainees were caught in the crossfire. Their swift and heroic actions during the attack underscore the growing dangers ICE officers face in their line of duty.
“I got hit in the head with something,” Solis said. It was actually debris, sheetrock from the bullet penetrating multiple walls. Caught me off guard. I didn’t know where it came from, right? You just hear a snap come through the door or through the window, the walls. And it wasn’t until that second round came through the wall that I actually watched it tumble on the roof that I realized that we were getting, we had an active shooter on our hands.”
The officers said the attack quickly turned into a life-or-death rescue mission as detainees were struck by gunfire.
Andres Goche, also a deportation officer, said he and others worked to pull wounded detainees to safety. “It was Mr. Goche here that actually physically pulled those victims out of that van, that transport van, and brought them into our processing area, setting up that triage area for us,” Solis added.
“It is a concern that goes through every law enforcement officer,” Goche said. “Am I going to die? Am I gonna get injured? Am i gonna… It comes with the job. It’s a hazard that comes with a job, right?” Goche said.
The recognition comes as ICE officers have faced threats, violence and growing hostility at facilities across the country.
“This is a new reality for every deportation officer, every ICE employee that’s out there throughout the nation,” Goche said. “It’s something that we’ve come to terms with. The best hope that we can hold onto at the moment is to continue to rely on each other and emphasize the importance of our training.”
Law enforcement personnel respond at the scene of a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 24, 2025. (Jeffrey McWhorter/Reuters)
Solis, who has spent more than 18 years in federal service, said he has never seen the environment become this dangerous.
“I think everybody in the law enforcement profession understands the risks and accepts them,” Solis said. “I don’t think I’ve witnessed it be this violent or this volatile in my entire 18 years of federal service. It’s a way of life for us now. It’s just a reality that we’ve had to come to terms with.”
The officers also addressed misconceptions about ICE, saying officers and their families are increasingly being targeted simply for enforcing federal immigration law.
“Our families, especially our families, shouldn’t have to carry the burden or barrage of threats thrown at them simply because their significant other, their loved one, their family member, is an ICE officer just enforcing the immigration laws of the United States that are enacted by Congress,” Solis said.
Goche said much of the anger toward ICE is fueled by misinformation and agitators.
“These are paid actors. They’re paid individuals with one purpose, which is to cause disturbance, to agitate, and to try to derail us from our mission priorities,” Goche said “I want to give my message across to the American people. We’re not here, we’re not the bad guys,” he continued. “We’re officers, we’re human beings, we have families, we have the same interests as many other people out there in this beautiful country.”
Acting Field Office Director Joshua Johnson shows an office with boarded windows after a sniper fired into the Dallas ICE Field Office. (Reuters Photos)
Christopher Pyne, an enforcement removal assistant, said the actions of the officers that day showed the humanity behind the badge.
“These men were willing to risk their lives to save one of our detained. Like, we’re human beings, and we recognize that, you know everyone that we deal with are human beings,” Pyne said.
Solis said officers do not do the job for awards or recognitionZ
“It’s humbling. I don’t believe anybody does it for any awards or accolades or recognition. It’s just the right thing to do, whether anybody’s looking or anybody’s gonna recognize you for it,” Solis said.
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