Antifa Cell Members Convicted in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Shooting

Nine North Texas activists were convicted last Friday on terrorism-related charges for their alleged roles in a shooting at the Prairieland ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas.

“- A jury convicted nine people for a Texas ICE facility attack last year”

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The Department of Justice framed this as a conviction of 'Antifa,' with the press release title reading 'Antifa Cell Members Convicted in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Shooting.'

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Eight of the nine defendants were found guilty of providing material support to terrorists, rioting, conspiring to use and carry explosives, and using explosives during a riot.

The convictions followed a 12-day trial in Texas and relate to a nonfatal shooting of a police officer at the immigration facility on July 4, 2025.

The defendants, described by authorities as dressed in black 'military-style' clothing with head and face coverings, have been linked by the Trump administration to the antifa movement, which was designated a domestic terrorist organization by President Donald Trump last year.

The incident occurred on July 4, 2025, at the Prairieland ICE detention center about 30 miles south of Fort Worth.

There was a peaceful protest outside the center during the daytime, but a small group of activists returned late at night intending to set off fireworks to alert detainees about outside support.

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The activists planned to slash police tires, fire fireworks at the detention center, and engage in other acts of vandalism.

They brought guns and a bulletproof vest, leaving all but one weapon in a van used for carpooling.

Most protesters had left when two guards came out of the detention center and an Alvarado police officer, Lt. Thomas Gross, pulled up in his squad car.

An exchange of gunfire occurred, during which Gross was wounded and Benjamin Song, who fired the shot, fled and was arrested several weeks later.

Benjamin Song, 32, was convicted of three counts of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm and faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

“- A jury convicted nine people for a Texas ICE facility attack last year”

KSL

He served in the Marine Corps Reserves from 2011-2016 and was a Lance Corporal at the time of his other-than-honorable discharge.

Song was the only shooter in the group of protesters.

Along with Song, Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto and Ines Soto were convicted of 'Providing Material Support to Terrorists.'

This 'support' supposedly consisted of the fact that they all wore black clothing to better conceal their identities.

Seven of the eight, excluding Morris, were also convicted of 'Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive, and Using and Carrying an Explosive, during a riot,' with the explosive in question being fireworks.

The ninth defendant, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, was convicted on two lesser charges.

All 16 defendants face sentencing on June 18.

The case against the nine defendants was built at least in part on the testimony of seven other activists who pleaded guilty to the charge of 'Providing Material Support to Terrorists' last fall.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the verdict, claiming in a statement that 'Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities—not under President Trump.'

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She went on to threaten, 'Today's verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America's streets.'

However, critical analysis suggests that 'Antifa' is not a real organization but rather a term used by the government to criminalize political dissent.

The case marks the first time federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges targeting antifa, a largely unstructured, far-left movement whose followers broadly aim to confront those they view as authoritarian or racist.