An Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Southern California is increasing security measures following Wednesday morning’s shooting at a Dallas facility that left two detainees dead and a third in critical condition.
The response around the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, which is a private facility owned and operated by the GEO Group that is contracted with ICE to provide custody services, includes increased patrols and coordination with federal officials for active monitoring of potential threats, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release.
“These measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution, and there is currently no direct threat to the public or the facility,” the Sheriff’s Department said. The news release also made a point to mention that the Sheriff’s Department is not involved in any immigration enforcement connected with the Processing Center.
“San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department personnel are not assigned to immigration enforcement and are not assigned to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. However, the facility is in the city of Adelanto, which contracts with the Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement services,” the Sheriff’s Department stated.
The exact motivation for the Dallas attack was not immediately known, but the FBI said at a morning news conference that ammunition found at the scene contained anti-ICE messaging. The head of the agency, Kash Patel, released an image showing a bullet with the words “Anti-ICE” written.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Discus urged the public to be on the lookout for suspicious activity.
“With all the violence happening across the country, your deputies remain vigilant. Please partner with us and if you see something, say something, even threats on social media. We will respond in a significant manner to any extremist activity in this county,” Discus said.
Suspicious activity should be reported to non-emergency numbers, including the Desert Dispatch at 760-956-5001 and Valley Dispatch at 909-387-8313. To remain anonymous, please contact We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or go to wetip.com.
All emergencies should be reported to 911.