Nine Texas Protesters Sentenced to Decades Under Federal Terrorism Law
Nine Texas activists received sentences of 30 to 100 years in federal prison on June 23, 2026, for their roles in a Fourth of July protest outside the Prairieland ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas. The case is the most prominent test yet of the Trump administration’s effort to use federal terrorism statutes against political protesters.
The protest targeted Prairieland, a private facility south of Fort Worth that holds immigration detainees. Activists arrived late at night intending to set off fireworks as a noise demonstration in solidarity with people detained inside. Several broke off from the main group and vandalized cars, a guard shack, and a government van.
One protester, Benjamin Song, fired an AR-15 from the woods and struck a responding police officer in the shoulder. The officer survived.
The sentences handed down Tuesday reflect how broadly prosecutors drew the conspiracy. Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, and Elizabeth Soto each received 50 years. Maricela Rueda received 70 years.
Song received 100 years. Daniel Sanchez-Estrada, who was not at the protest, received 30 years for moving zines and other printed materials at his wife Rueda’s request after her arrest. Prosecutors charged that act as “corruptly concealing a document or record.”
Eight of the nine defendants were convicted of providing material support for terrorists, a charge typically used in cases involving international terror networks.
“North Texas antifa cell”
Federal prosecutors’ characterization of the defendants, used to secure terrorism convictions. Antifa is not an organization. It refers to a loosely shared set of left-wing anti-fascist views, with no formal membership, leadership, or hierarchy.
Prosecutors argued the shooting was premeditated and part of a coordinated conspiracy, even though, by their own account, many of the defendants did not know each other beforehand. Legal observers and civil liberties groups have warned for years that the material support statute, written for foreign terrorist organizations, risks being stretched to cover domestic political activity.
The case received national attention because it tests whether federal law allows prosecutors to hold all participants in a protest criminally liable for the independent actions of one person, and to label a political ideology a terrorist organization for sentencing purposes.
What You Can Do Now
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Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to oppose any legislation that expands the federal material support statute to cover domestic political activity. Cite the Prairieland sentences as evidence the law is already being applied beyond its original scope.
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Contact the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The Senate Judiciary Committee (judiciary.senate.gov/contact) has oversight over federal prosecution standards. Ask members to hold hearings on how the material support statute is being applied to domestic protesters.
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Find your state’s ACLU affiliate at aclu.org/find-your-aclu and ask what legal defense efforts are underway for the remaining defendants still being sentenced. Some activists in this case are still awaiting final sentencing as of June 23, 2026.
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Contact the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility at [email protected] and request a public accounting of all domestic protesters charged under material support statutes since January 2025. This is a formal oversight mechanism that any member of the public can use.
Sources
The Guardian: Texas Anti-ICE Protesters Sentenced to 50-100 Years on Terrorism Charges ACLU: Know Your Rights as a Protester Brennan Center for Justice: Material Support Laws and Civil Liberties AP: Prairieland Detention Center Overview DOJ: Material Support Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2339B