Fort Worth, Texas – A federal judge sentenced several Texas protesters to decades in prison Tuesday in a closely watched case stemming from a 2025 Fourth of July protest outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado.
Benjamin Song, who prosecutors said shot and wounded a police officer outside the immigration detention facility, received a 100-year sentence after being convicted of attempted murder. Other defendants received sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years.
Prosecutors said the defendants were tied to what they described as a “North Texas antifa cell” and argued the protest was part of a premeditated conspiracy involving vandalism, weapons, and an attack on law enforcement. Defense attorneys denied that the defendants were terrorists or part of a formal antifa organization, saying they attended the demonstration to support immigrants detained inside.
The case has drawn national attention because several defendants were convicted of providing material support for terrorism, even though antifa is not a formal organization and there is no domestic equivalent to the State Department’s foreign terrorist list.
Critics say the case could chill protest activity. Prosecutors say the sentences reflect violence against law enforcement, not protected speech.
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