FORT WORTH — Judges in a pair of hearings Tuesday handed down decadeslong prison sentences to eight defendants convicted in what federal prosecutors described as a coordinated “antifa” attack last summer on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado.
Benjamin Song, the attack’s ringleader, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman to 100 years in prison.
Prosecutors said the group spent months planning the July 4, 2025, assault on the Prairieland Detention Center, where masked attackers launched fireworks, vandalized vehicles and opened fire on law enforcement officers. An Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck but survived. Nine people were ultimately convicted on charges that included attempted murder and firearms offenses.
The prosecution, which federal officials have described as the first of its kind against an “antifa cell,” has been touted by the Trump administration as part of a broader crackdown on domestic terrorism.
Attorneys for the defendants have condemned the case, arguing it was driven by a politically motivated Justice Department, built on thin evidence and relied on a novel application of terrorism allegations against antifa, a loosely organized movement of far-left activists.
A sentencing hearing for the ninth and final defendant, Ines Soto, is scheduled for July 1 in U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s court.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.