GUILTY: TERRORISTS CONVICTED FOR ATTACK ON US ICE DETENTION CENTER

GUILTY: Jury Convicts Nine Defendants on Terrorism-Related Charges in Shocking Attack on Prairieland ICE Detention Center

A federal jury has found eight of nine defendants guilty on terrorism-related charges stemming from a premeditated attack on the Prairieland ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025 — one of the most significant domestic terrorism convictions in recent American history. The verdicts, delivered on March 13, 2026, marked the culmination of a high-profile federal trial that drew national attention, reignited debate over domestic terrorism laws, and sent a powerful message about the consequences of politically motivated violence against federal facilities and law enforcement officers.

The attack, which prosecutors described as a coordinated act of terror inspired by antifa ideology, involved setting off fireworks, vandalizing property, and — most alarmingly — opening fire on police officers who responded to the scene. One officer, Lieutenant Gross of the Alvarado Police Department, was struck in the neck by a bullet during the assault. He survived, and has since made a full recovery.

The Defendants and the Charges

Nine individuals faced a combined total of 65 charges related to their roles in the attack. The defendants named in the case were Autumn Hill (formerly known as Cameron Arnold), Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris (formerly known as Bradford Morris), Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada. The charges against them included riot, providing material support to terrorists, carrying an explosive, using and carrying an explosive during a riot, attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime.

Eight of the nine defendants were found guilty on the most serious terrorism-related counts, including providing material support to terrorists and riot. Benjamin Song faced the most serious individual findings, with the jury convicting him on charges including attempted murder of an officer and multiple counts of discharging a firearm during a violent crime — charges on which the other defendants were acquitted. Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada’s individual verdict details were still being reported at the time of publication.

The verdicts represented a sweeping victory for federal prosecutors, who had argued throughout the trial that the attack was not a spontaneous protest that went wrong, but rather a deliberate, planned assault on a federal immigration detention facility and on the officers who defended it.

The Attack on July 4, 2025

The Prairieland detention center in Alvarado, Texas, operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, became the target of the coordinated assault on the night of July 4, 2025. The date — America’s Independence Day — appeared to have been chosen deliberately, adding a symbolic dimension to what prosecutors characterized as a politically motivated act of domestic terrorism.

According to testimony presented during the trial, the group arrived at the facility armed with fireworks, which were used as projectile weapons against the facility and against responding officers. Property at the facility was vandalized during the attack. When law enforcement officers arrived to respond to the incident, members of the group opened fire on them. Lieutenant Gross, a police officer who was among those who responded, was shot in the neck during the assault. The fact that he survived was described by those close to the case as fortunate, given the severity of the wound.

Prosecutors argued that the group had planned the attack in advance and had arrived with the means and intent to carry out violence. They presented evidence from investigators, law enforcement personnel, and cooperating witnesses over the course of weeks of testimony, building what they described as an airtight case against each of the defendants.

The Antifa Connection and Domestic Terror Designation

The case unfolded against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s September 2025 designation of antifa as a domestic terrorist organization — a move that was both celebrated by supporters and fiercely contested by civil liberties advocates. The first charges in the Prairieland case were filed in the weeks immediately following that designation, a timeline that critics pointed to as evidence that the prosecution was politically motivated.

Prosecutors, however, maintained that the charges were based on the facts of the attack itself and the evidence gathered against each individual defendant. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a forceful statement following the verdict. “Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” Bondi said. “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.”

The statement signaled that the Justice Department views the Prairieland convictions as part of a broader campaign against antifa-affiliated violence, and that further prosecutions may follow in other cases across the country.

Opponents of the antifa terror designation have argued that antifa — short for anti-fascist — is an ideology rather than a formal organization with membership, leadership, or a command structure. Designating adherents to an ideology as terrorists, they argue, raises serious First Amendment concerns and could criminalize protected political beliefs. Several advocacy organizations have vowed to continue challenging the designation in court.

Alvarado Police Chief Speaks Out

Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May welcomed the verdicts warmly, expressing relief for the injured officer, his family, and the department as a whole. May confirmed that Lieutenant Gross, who was shot in the neck during the attack, has made a full recovery — news that was met with relief by those connected to the case.

Speaking specifically about Benjamin Song, who received the most serious individual convictions including attempted murder of an officer, May expressed a mix of sympathy and firm resolve. “It’s unfortunate for Mr. Song,” the chief said. “He made some poor decisions, and it seems like he’s now going to have to be paying his debt to society.”

May also addressed the defense argument that the defendants may have believed they were participating in a peaceful protest when the violence broke out. The chief was unequivocal in rejecting that characterization. “I don’t believe any reasonable person could believe the suspects didn’t know what they were doing,” he said, echoing arguments made by prosecutors throughout the trial.

The police chief thanked the investigators and prosecutors who worked on the case, saying the verdict reinforces the department’s faith in the American justice system. He said the convictions bring a measure of closure not only for the injured officer and his family, but for the entire Alvarado Police Department and the broader community it serves.

The Defense’s Position

Throughout the trial, attorneys representing the defendants pushed back vigorously against the terrorism framing of the charges. Defense lawyers argued that their clients had gone to the Prairieland facility to protest ICE — an agency whose immigration enforcement activities have been deeply controversial — and that the government had dramatically overreached in bringing terrorism charges against them.

Supporters of the defendants gathered outside the courthouse and at various points during the trial, arguing that the prosecution represented a dangerous escalation by the federal government against political dissent. They contended that the use of terrorism statutes against protest-related activities, even where violence occurred, set a chilling precedent that could be used to suppress future demonstrations.

Defense attorneys also challenged the evidentiary basis for connecting specific defendants to specific acts of violence, particularly with respect to the attempted murder charges. The jury’s decision to acquit most of the defendants on those most serious counts — finding only Benjamin Song guilty of attempted murder and firearms charges — suggests that the jury drew careful distinctions between the defendants’ individual conduct and culpability, even while agreeing that all eight guilty defendants had participated in riot and provided material support to terrorism.

What the Verdicts Mean

The convictions carry serious potential penalties. Providing material support to terrorists is a federal charge that can carry sentences of up to 15 years in prison, and in cases where death or serious injury results, the penalties can be substantially higher. Benjamin Song, convicted of the additional charges of attempted murder of an officer and multiple firearms offenses, faces potentially much longer sentencing exposure than his co-defendants.

Sentencing dates for the convicted defendants had not been announced at the time of publication, but legal analysts expect the process to move forward in the coming months. Given the severity of the charges and the high-profile nature of the case, sentences are expected to be substantial.

The verdicts are also likely to have ripple effects beyond this particular case. Federal prosecutors and the Justice Department have signaled clearly that they intend to continue pursuing terrorism-related charges against individuals they connect to antifa-affiliated violence. Attorney General Bondi’s post-verdict statement made explicit that the department views these convictions as part of an ongoing effort rather than a conclusion.

A Divided Public Reaction

Public reaction to the verdicts was sharply divided along political lines, reflecting the deeply polarized state of American politics in 2026. Supporters of the Trump administration and law enforcement hailed the convictions as a long-overdue reckoning for political violence and a vindication of the domestic terror designation. They argued that the attack on the Prairieland facility — a federal installation staffed by law enforcement officers — was precisely the kind of violence that terrorism statutes were designed to punish.

Critics of the prosecution, including civil liberties organizations and immigration advocacy groups, expressed alarm at the outcome. They argued that applying terrorism labels to protest activity, even violent protest activity, represented a fundamental threat to the right of Americans to demonstrate against government policies. Several organizations announced plans to support appeals on behalf of the convicted defendants.

The Prairieland facility itself has been a focal point of protests and controversy since its opening, with immigration advocates arguing that conditions inside the facility are inhumane and that ICE’s detention practices more broadly violate the rights of immigrants. For those on this side of the debate, the defendants were protesters — however misguided their methods — not terrorists.

Looking Ahead

The convicted defendants now await sentencing, and their legal teams are expected to pursue appeals challenging both the antifa terror designation and the application of terrorism statutes to the events of July 4, 2025. Those legal battles are likely to take years to resolve and could ultimately reach the federal appellate courts and potentially the Supreme Court, where broader questions about the constitutionality of the antifa designation may eventually be addressed.

For the Alvarado community and for Lieutenant Gross — the officer who nearly lost his life that night — the verdict closes one chapter of what has been a long and difficult ordeal. For the broader national debate over domestic terrorism, political protest, and the limits of dissent, the Prairieland case is almost certainly just the beginning.