Eight protesters sentenced to decades in prison for Texas ICE facility attack, one gets 100 years

The sentencing

Eight people were sentenced on Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas, for their roles in a July 4, 2025, incident at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado. Benjamin Song, a former Marine reservist convicted of attempted murder, received 100 years in federal prison. Seven other defendants got terms ranging from 30 to 70 years. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, one of two judges overseeing the cases, called the events "an assault on democracy" and said "the need to deter this type of conduct is high."

“The need to deter this type of conduct is high.”

Prosecutor Frank Gatto argued that "people with that kind of extremist beliefs need extra time in prison" because "they believe violence is justified." The sentences are the first under the Trump administration's designation of antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.

The incident

On the night of July 4, 2025, a group of demonstrators arrived at the ICE facility about 25 miles south of Fort Worth. Prosecutors said some wore black tactical gear and opened fire on law enforcement. A local police officer was shot in the neck but survived. The government said Song yelled "get to the rifles" and fired, striking the officer who had just arrived. Song's attorney, Philip Hayes, described the shots as "suppressive fire" and said a ricochet hit the officer after he "aggressively" drew his weapon. Hayes said his client will appeal.

“This is a bunch of kids and young adults who really have a really big heart and really wanted their voice to be heard.”

Defense lawyers maintained the gathering was a peaceful protest in solidarity with detained immigrants. Family members expressed outrage at the sentences. Lydia Koza, whose wife Autumn Hill received 50 years, said, "The government wants to take her whole life for attending a protest. No one died."

Antifa and the legal context

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last fall designating antifa a domestic terrorist organization, though no domestic equivalent to the State Department's foreign terror list exists. Antifa is not a single group but an umbrella term for far-left militant networks that confront neo-Nazis and white supremacists. The defendants denied any antifa affiliation. FBI Director Kash Patel said the Prairieland case is the first accusing people the administration believes are antifa of terror-related charges.

“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice.”

Critics warn the prosecution could chill protest rights under the First Amendment. The case has drawn attention beyond Texas, with 15 people recently charged in Minnesota for allegedly impeding immigration enforcement, also described by prosecutors as antifa members.

Broader fallout

In addition to the eight sentenced Tuesday, Ines Soto is due to be sentenced on July 1. Seven others who pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists also face sentencing that day. Song, in a statement after his sentencing, said he tried to stop the officer from shooting a "running, unarmed protestor" and referenced two Minneapolis demonstrators fatally shot by federal agents earlier this year. He called the prosecutions "mass punishment" and "guilt by association."