A federal jury on Friday convicted eight people on terrorism charges in a precedent-setting case that involved an Antifa attack on the Prairieland Detention Center for illegal immigrants in Alvarado, Texas.
As noted by KERA-TV, 16 people have been convicted following the July 4, 2025, incident. Not all faced terrorism charges.
Prosecutors alleged the Antifa cell attacked the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility by setting off fireworks, destroying property, and shooting at police. Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross was shot in the neck, but has since fully recovered, according to CBS News.
“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, according to a Justice Department news release.
“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,” she added.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas said that “these guilty verdicts and convictions rightly reflect the vicious, armed attack that these Antifa cell members planned and executed against law enforcement and detention center officers on the night of July 4 last year.”
“Their terrorist acts, attempted murder, vandalism, and explosives launched at a detention facility were a far cry from some peaceful protest or First Amendment expression,” he added.
FBI Director Kash Patel warned that “acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism.”
The Justice Department release said that those charged “were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law.”
The release said that group leader Benjamin Song, who faces a minimum sentence of 20 years after his conviction on multiple charges, acquired guns for the attack.
When the attack was staged, the group had more than 50 guns in its possession, 11 of which were used in the attack by body armor-wearing Antifa members.
“Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, ‘get to the rifles!’” the release said.
The release added that Song “opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover.”
“Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025,” the release said.
The release noted that some defendants attended a peaceful protest outside the facility earlier that day to scope out security for the attack that took place after dark.
Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4 — without the gear they brought that night — and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility.
CBS News noted that in September, the Trump administration designated Antifa as a domestic terror group.
BREAKING: A jury finds eight defendants guilty of terrorism charges in an attack on a Texas ICE detention center. https://t.co/JaAaOBlcpd
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 13, 2026
Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May supported the verdicts.
“It’s unfortunate for Mr. (Benjamin) Song,” he said. “He made some poor decisions, and it seems like he’s now going to have to be paying his debt to society.”
He remarked that there was no way anyone in the attack could have believed the protest was going to be peaceful.
“I don’t believe any reasonable person could believe the suspects didn’t know what they were doing,” May said.
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