Eight people convicted over a violent anti-ICE riot outside a Texas immigration detention centre have been sentenced to a combined 450 years in prison, in one of the toughest punishments handed down in a politically charged protest case in recent years.
The sentences stem from a July 4 attack on the Prairieland Detention Center, south of Dallas, where prosecutors said members of a group known as the North Texas Antifa Cell launched a coordinated assault involving fireworks, gunfire and vandalism.
Among those convicted was former US Marine Corps reservist Benjamin Hanil Song, who received a 100-year prison sentence after being found guilty of attempting to murder a law enforcement officer during the unrest.
According to the US Department of Justice, the group fired and threw fireworks at the detention facility, damaged vehicles and a security post, and engaged in actions prosecutors described as acts of domestic terrorism.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the punishment sends a clear warning to extremists who target law enforcement officers and federal institutions.
“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” Blanche said.
The defendants were convicted on multiple charges, including rioting, obstruction, the use of weapons and explosives, and providing material support to terrorists.
Song, whom prosecutors identified as the group’s leader, maintained in a written statement that he discharged his firearm because he believed a police officer was preparing to shoot a protester.
His mother, Hope Song, disputed allegations that her son intentionally shot the officer and insisted he never intended to harm anyone.
The court also sentenced Maricela Rueda to 70 years in prison. Cameron Arnold, also known as Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris, also known as Meagan Morris, and Elizabeth Soto each received 50-year sentences, while Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
A ninth defendant, Ines Soto, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1. Seven other individuals who pleaded guilty before trial to providing material support to terrorists are also expected to be sentenced on the same date.
Federal prosecutors described the North Texas Antifa Cell as part of a broader network of activists who subscribe to an ideology seeking the overthrow of the US government, law enforcement institutions and the legal system.
Supporters of the convicted individuals, however, have criticised the punishments as excessively harsh and politically motivated.
Some participants in the protest have argued that the event was initially intended as a peaceful “noise demonstration” in support of detained immigrants and was never meant to become violent.
The defendants have denied belonging to Antifa and said they attended the gathering to protest immigration detention policies.
The case has reignited debate over Antifa, a loosely organised anti-fascist movement that President Donald Trump formally designated a domestic terrorist organisation last year.
Critics of that designation argue that Antifa is an ideological movement rather than a structured organisation with formal membership, and that adherence to a political ideology alone does not constitute a criminal offence.
Despite those arguments, prosecutors successfully linked the defendants to the violent attack, leading to convictions and some of the longest sentences imposed in connection with anti-government protest activity in recent years.
