Eight people convicted in connection with a 2025 attack on an immigration detention facility in North Texas were sentenced Tuesday to a combined 450 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The sentences stem from the July 4, 2025, attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, where prosecutors said members of a North Texas Antifa-affiliated cell carried out a coordinated assault that included vandalism, explosives and gunfire that wounded a police officer.
Federal officials said Benjamin Hanil Song, identified by prosecutors as a leader of the group, received the longest sentence of 100 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and related charges.
Others sentenced included Maricela Rueda, who received 70 years in prison; Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Bradford Morris and Elizabeth Soto, who each received 50-year sentences; and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada, who was sentenced to 30 years.
The Justice Department said the sentences mark the first involving defendants affiliated with Antifa following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in September 2025 designating the group as a domestic terrorist organization.
Prosecutors Detail Planning And Attack
According to prosecutors, members of the group arrived at the detention facility dressed in black clothing and face coverings intended to conceal their identities. Authorities said they brought firearms, body armor, military-style medical kits, and fireworks to the scene.
Evidence presented during a 12-day trial showed participants allegedly launched fireworks at the facility, vandalized vehicles and a guard station, damaged surveillance equipment, and confronted responding officers.
Prosecutors said an Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck after responding to a 911 call from detention center personnel. The officer survived.
Federal prosecutors said trial testimony and evidence linked the defendants to planning discussions conducted through encrypted messaging applications. Authorities also presented phone location data, surveillance footage, DNA evidence, and testimony from cooperating defendants.
According to the Justice Department, evidence showed Song recruited members through firearms training and combat-style sessions and distributed weapons to other participants. Prosecutors said some defendants were also involved in producing and distributing anti-government materials.
Federal Officials Praise Outcome
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the sentences demonstrate the consequences for attacks targeting law enforcement and federal facilities.
“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 in a statement.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency would continue efforts to investigate and dismantle violent extremist networks.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman said the outcome could have been far worse had circumstances unfolded differently during the attack.
Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who sentenced several of the defendants, described the attack as an assault on democratic institutions and noted that the wounded officer was not involved in immigration enforcement.
Trial Included Nine Defendants
The trial began on February 23 and included testimony from 46 witnesses and more than 210 exhibits. Nine defendants were convicted. One of them, Ines Soto, received a sentencing continuance and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1.
Seven additional defendants — Seth Sikes, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp and John Thomas — previously pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists. Their sentencing is also scheduled for July 1.
Defense supporters have argued the defendants were participating in a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies and criticized the charges as excessive, according to CBS News. Prosecutors maintained the evidence demonstrated a coordinated and armed attack rather than a peaceful demonstration.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and other federal agencies.
The officer wounded in the attack has since recovered, according to Alvarado police officials.
