Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson warned of a rising tolerance for political violence in America after a gunman opened fire at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, saying that unless something changes, the attack "won't be the last."
Appearing on "America’s Newsroom" Thursday, the Democrat-turned-Republican mayor argued that his former party's rhetoric has fueled hostility toward law enforcement. Johnson said Democratic leaders sought to appease Black Lives Matter activists by portraying officers as dangerous as criminals.
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, he added, similar tactics have been used to placate pro-immigration activists by vilifying ICE.
"We see that there's increasing tolerance for political violence as a way to bring about policy change, particularly on the left," Johnson told Fox News' Bill Hemmer.
"So I think that confluence of events is leading to unfortunate events like yesterday, and if we don't do something about it, this won't be the last one."
Johnson's appearance came one day after alleged gunman Joshua Jahn fired indiscriminately at a Dallas ICE facility before taking his own life.
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The gunman reportedly killed one person and injured two others. The shooting took place a short distance from Alvarado, Texas, where ICE officers were targeted in a separate incident in July.
The shooting also comes amid heightened political tensions nationwide. Several Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have criticized the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts, accusing the agency of using unethical practices.
Johnson argued that city and federal leaders must confront the rhetoric fueling such hostility before more lives are lost.
Fox News' Louis Casiana and John Roberts contributed to this report.
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