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Two ICE officers and a staff member honored by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for their actions during the 2025 sniper attack on the Dallas ICE Field Office spoke exclusively to Fox News about the chaos that unfolded that day and the growing threats they say ICE officers now face across the country.
Mullin awarded the officers medals for their heroic actions during the attack, when a sniper fired 17 shots from a nearby rooftop at the Dallas facility.
Marco Solis, a deportation officer, said he was sitting at his desk when bullets started tearing through the building.
"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."
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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.
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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."
Solis, who has spent more than 18 years in federal service, said he has never seen the environment become this dangerous.
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"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.
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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."
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.
