Anti-ICE Protesters Get 30 to 100 Years After Texas Detention Center Attack

A protest, a shot officer, and sentences that shook the legal world

Eight activists were sentenced Tuesday to between 30 and 100 years in federal prison for their roles in a July 4, 2025, attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, an ICE facility south of Fort Worth.justice Benjamin Song, who fired an AR-15 and wounded a police officer in the neck, received the 100-year maximum; six others drew 50-year terms and Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years.theguardian Daniel Sanchez-Estrada — not present at the protest, convicted of concealing documents by moving a box of political zines — received 30 years.theintercept A tenth defendant faces sentencing July 1.

The sentences exceeded any imposed on the roughly 1,500 defendants prosecuted for the January 6, 2021 Capitol assault, including the 22-year sentence given to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.nytimes A former federal prosecutor said she would have expected sentences of 15 to 25 years: "Most often, judges will sentence defendants for separate counts concurrently. Here, it appears that the judge stacked the sentences for each count consecutively."theguardian

What happened at Prairieland on July 4

About 11 people — many dressed in black, some in body armor and carrying legally purchased firearms — arrived at the detention center late on Independence Day.usatoday Before the attack, some used an encrypted app to discuss the facility's layout, fireworks, and weapons; when an Alvarado police officer arrived and drew his weapon, Song fired from the woods, hitting the officer in the neck.theguardian Dozens of rounds were ultimately fired, and vehicles were vandalized with slogans including "ICE Pig."usatoday

Several defendants said in court they intended only a noise demonstration to show solidarity with detainees, not violence. Zachary Evetts, a mechanical engineer with no prior criminal record, said the fireworks were meant solely to get detainees' attention and plans to appeal.theguardian Sanchez-Estrada, who described himself as a father, teacher, and poet, said he could not understand why moving a box constituted terrorism.theintercept

A landmark case in the administration's anti-antifa push

The Justice Department hailed Tuesday's sentences as "the first sentencing of defendants affiliated with Antifa following President Donald Trump's executive order designating the group as a Domestic Terrorist Organization in September 2025."justice Trump's NSPM-7 directive, issued after a conservative activist's killing that fall, prompted prosecutors to escalate charges against the Prairieland defendants.theintercept The combined 450-year total across all eight defendants drew immediate criticism from civil liberties advocates who argued prosecutors had criminalized association, political literature, and the use of encrypted messaging apps that are common tools for journalists and activists alike.pbs

Since the case, similar prosecutions have followed: 15 activists in Minneapolis were indicted last week on charges of impeding ICE agents, and a federal jury in Spokane convicted three protesters for their roles in a 2025 ICE facility protest.theguardian Defendants' lawyers say appeals are planned.theintercept