The convictions stem from a July 4, 2025, incident at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Prosecutors detailed that a group of armed militants clad in black tactical gear descended on the facility and opened fire on law enforcement officers, leaving one police officer wounded. Benjamin Song, identified by the state as the operation’s primary organizer, received the maximum 100-year sentence after being convicted of attempted murder, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“This is a bunch of kids and young adults who really have a really big heart and really wanted their voice to be heard.” — Philip Hayes, Defense Attorney for Benjamin Song
***
During the hearings at the U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, judges handed down sentences between 30 and 70 years to seven other co-defendants—identified as Autumn Hill, Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada—most of whom were convicted in March on charges of rioting and supporting terrorism. Defense attorneys pushed back heavily against the sentencing, arguing the group had merely planned a peaceful protest in support of detained immigrants, while denying any formal ties to antifa. An additional defendant, Ines Soto, is scheduled for sentencing in July, and Song’s legal team has already signaled plans to appeal the verdict.
