Eight self-described “anti-fascist” militants who turned a Texas protest into a paramilitary ambush on an immigration facility will now spend nearly 500 years behind bars for terrorism and attempted murder.[3][5][7]
Story Snapshot
- Federal court sentenced eight North Texas Antifa cell members to a combined 450 years in prison for a July 4, 2025 attack on a Texas immigration detention center.[5][7]
- Ringleader Benjamin Hanil Song, a former Marine reservist, received 100 years for shooting a police lieutenant in the neck and for terrorism-related charges.[3][4][5]
- Co-defendants were convicted of rioting with intent to commit violence, using explosives, and providing material support to terrorists, after arriving in black bloc with weapons and gear.[3][5][10]
- The case is one of the first to apply federal terrorism tools to far-left Antifa operatives, highlighting growing concern about violent domestic extremism targeting law enforcement.[3][4][15]
Antifa Ambush on ICE Facility Ends in Landmark Terror Sentences
Federal judges in Fort Worth, Texas have sent a clear message about violent political extremism by sentencing eight members of a North Texas Antifa cell to a combined 450 years in prison.[5][7] Prosecutors said the group turned a July 4, 2025 “protest” at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado into a coordinated attack on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and local police.[3][10] According to the Department of Justice, the cell arrived dressed in black bloc, armed with firearms, body armor, medical kits, and fireworks used as explosives.[3][10]
The attack left Alvarado Police Lieutenant Thomas Gross shot in the neck when ringleader Benjamin Hanil Song opened fire outside the facility.[3][5] Gross survived, but the wound underscored how far these militants were willing to go to intimidate and punish law enforcement for carrying out immigration laws.[5] A federal jury later convicted Song and his co-defendants on terrorism-related charges including providing material support to terrorists, rioting with intent to commit violence, and using and carrying explosives.[3][4][5] This was not free speech; it was a violent strike against officers doing their duty.
Ringleader Benjamin Song Gets 100 Years, Others Face Decades
United States District Judge Mark Pittman handed Song a 100-year sentence, effectively ensuring he will never walk free after his attempted murder conviction and firearm-related crimes.[3][4][5] News reports and Justice Department statements identify Song as the cell’s leader and note his background as a former United States Marine Corps reservist, making his betrayal of his oath to protect this country even more stark.[5] Seven accomplices received sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years for charges that included rioting, explosives offenses, terrorism support, and corruptly concealing incriminating documents.[4][5]
Official sentencing details show Maricela Rueda received 70 years, while Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, and Elizabeth Soto each received 50 years.[5][7] Daniel Rolando Sanchez‑Estrada, who was convicted mainly of concealing evidence rather than direct violence, received 30 years.[4][5] Another convicted defendant, Ines Soto, is set to be sentenced separately, and seven additional individuals previously pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists.[5][10] All told, this Antifa network now faces nearly half a millennium in federal prison for choosing violence and terror over lawful political debate.[5][7]
Mixed Verdict, But Clear Proof of Violent Extremism Against Law Enforcement
The jury did issue a mixed verdict, acquitting eight defendants on the narrow charge of attempted murder and on some firearm counts, but it still found all nine trial defendants guilty of terrorism-related crimes and violent rioting.[1][2][3][4] Critics on the left have tried to spin those acquittals as proof this was “just a protest,” yet the same jury agreed that the group provided material support to terrorists, conspired to use and carry explosives, and rioted with intent to commit acts like shooting at officers and throwing explosive fireworks.[2][3][10]
Left-wing media, angry over the convictions and sentencing of the North Texas Antifa terror cell members, claim the incident was a peaceful "protest" by activists engaging in First Amendment-protected activity.
But the jury saw the truth at trial.
Here is the body camera… pic.twitter.com/3lqKW0kDfe
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 24, 2026
Federal charging documents describe conduct that goes far beyond peaceful assembly: slashing tires on government vehicles, destroying surveillance cameras, spraying graffiti on federal property, and launching fireworks and other explosive devices while dressed in black bloc to hide identities.[10] Analysts who study domestic terrorism note that law enforcement has become a primary target in protest-linked attacks, with far-left extremists responsible for a growing share of such incidents.[15] In this case, the sentences show that under the current Trump administration, violent mobs who target officers and immigration facilities will be treated as terrorists, not activists, and will pay a heavy price for trying to intimidate the government by force.[3][4][14]
Sources:
[1] Web – These Antifa Terrorists Are Going To Be Spending Nearly 500 Years in …
[2] Web – Mixed verdict reached in North Texas ICE center Antifa terror attack …
[3] Web – Prairieland shooter convicted of attempted murder, others on lesser …
[4] Web – Antifa Cell Members Convicted in Prairieland ICE Detention Center …
[5] Web – Nine defendants get mixed verdict in federal ICE facility attack trial
[7] Web – Antifa Cell Members Indicted in Prairieland Shooting
[10] Web – 8 accused of antifa ties convicted on terrorism charges over shooting …
[14] Web – Antifa Cell Members Convicted in Prairieland ICE Detention Center …
[15] YouTube – Lawfare Daily: The Trial of the North Texas Antifa Cell
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