The officer lay bleeding in the Texas heat, a bullet lodged in his neck after a chaotic protest outside the Prairieland immigration detention centre turned into a battlefield. Eight people who US prosecutors say have ties to Antifa have now been sentenced to a combined 450 years in prison for their roles in the 4 July riot last year, in what a federal judge called “an assault on democracy”.
Benjamin Hanil Song, a former US Marine Corps reservist described as the leader of the North Texas Antifa Cell, was handed the harshest term: 100 years for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. According to the US Department of Justice, he had faced a minimum penalty of 20 years. In a written statement on Tuesday, Song said he fired his gun because he believed the officer was preparing to shoot a protester – a claim his mother, Hope Song, echoed, disputing that he shot the officer and insisting he did not intend to hurt anyone.
“Eight Antifa-linked rioters jailed for 450 years after officer shot at Texas immigration centre”
The sentences were delivered just over a year after violence erupted on Independence Day at the facility south of Dallas. Prosecutors said the group began shooting off and throwing fireworks at the site, vandalising vehicles and a guard kiosk. The eight were convicted on an array of charges including rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, and obstruction.
Maricela Rueda received 70 years; Cameron Arnold (also known as Autumn Hill), Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris (also known as Meagan Morris) and Elizabeth Soto each got 50 years; and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years. A ninth defendant, Ines Soto, is due to be sentenced on 1 July, along with seven others who pleaded guilty before trial to one count of providing material support to terrorists.
“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” said Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, condemning violent extremism.
President Donald Trump designated Antifa a “domestic terrorist organisation” last year, accusing the movement of recruiting and radicalising young Americans to engage in political violence. Critics argue Antifa is an ideology, not an organised group, but the DOJ said the North Texas Cell was part of a network that seeks to overthrow the US government and system of law.
Families of the defendants condemned the length of the sentences as unduly harsh. The judge, Amos Mazzant, called the 4 July assault on the facility “an assault on democracy” – a verdict that leaves the families questioning whether justice can ever be too swift.