Attorney General Pam Bondi signed a memo on Monday directing agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other Justice Department agencies to assist in guarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. As she should.

     The move by Bondi — which she hinted at on Friday — came after one detainee was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Wednesday, the latest shooting or threat targeting an ICE facility or immigration agent in recent months. She cast that attack as the latest act of "extreme political violence."

      In a memo shared on X, Bondi said the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives should "immediately direct all necessary officers and agents to defend ICE facilities and personnel whenever and wherever they come under attack." She also announced the formation of a temporary "ICE Protection Task Force" that could include federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

     She singled out Portland and Chicago for operations to protect ICE facilities, and said she's directing federal prosecutors in both cities to seek charges against anybody accused of threatening or assaulting law enforcement. President Trump is also looking to deploy hundreds of troops to the two cities, drawing vehement opposition from local officials.

      ICE has said attacks on its agents have spiked this year, as the Trump administration uses the agency to dramatically increase arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants. In recent months, ICE operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and elsewhere have drawn tense protests and clashes between agents and demonstrators.