Antifa Terror Verdict Shocks Texas

Department of Justice building with American flags outside.

A federal jury has now handed down crushing prison terms in the Prairieland ICE attack case, and the record shows why the government called it a violent ambush.

Quick Take

Benjamin Song received a 100-year sentence after his attempted murder conviction for shooting Lieutenant Thomas Gross.
Eight defendants received a combined 450 years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department.
The jury also convicted multiple defendants of rioting, material support for terrorists, and explosives charges tied to fireworks.
Seven other defendants had already pleaded guilty before trial, deepening the case against the group.

How The Case Turned Into A Major Federal Verdict

Federal prosecutors said the July 4, 2025, attack at the Prairieland Detention Center was no protest gone wrong. They said a group arrived in black bloc clothing, with firearms, body armor, medical gear, and fireworks used as explosives. A jury in Fort Worth later convicted Benjamin Song of attempted murder for shooting Alvarado Police Lieutenant Thomas Gross in the neck, along with other firearms and violence-related counts.

The Justice Department said Song and seven others were convicted of rioting, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to use and carry explosives. Daniel Estrada was convicted on document concealment charges, not violent counts. Seven more defendants had already pleaded guilty before trial. That mix of verdicts matters. It shows the jury accepted the core facts of a coordinated attack, while sorting each defendant’s role by the evidence against them.

Why The Sentences Drew So Much Attention

On June 23, eight defendants were sentenced to a combined 450 years in federal prison, with Song receiving 100 years. That is a brutal outcome for anyone who thought a so-called “noise demonstration” would be treated like ordinary civil disobedience. Prosecutors said the attack targeted law enforcement and immigration officers, and the sentencing reflects that the court viewed the conduct as far beyond protest or political speech.

The case also touched a nerve because it came after years of left-wing street violence, anti-ICE agitation, and attempts to blur the line between activism and sabotage. President Trump’s administration has treated attacks on federal immigration facilities as part of a wider domestic security threat. Supporters of the verdict see the sentences as overdue accountability. Critics argue the terrorism label was too broad, but the jury still found serious criminal conduct proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

What The Mixed Verdict Means Going Forward

Not every charge stuck. The jury acquitted eight of the nine trial defendants on attempted murder and firearm discharge counts, which narrows the government’s case on individual intent. Even so, the convictions on rioting, explosives-related charges, and material support to terrorists were enough to bring major prison time. That split verdict is important because it undercuts broad claims, but it does not erase the evidence of an organized and violent assault.

Former Marine gets 100 years in prison as judge calls ICE detention center ambush 'an assault on democracy' | Alexandra Koch, Fox News

Eight protesters accused by the Justice Department of having ties to the far-left network Antifa were sentenced to decades in federal prison on… pic.twitter.com/uwVXl6r9kA

— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) June 24, 2026

For conservatives, the larger lesson is plain. When political rage turns into armed action against law enforcement and immigration officers, the rule of law has to answer hard and fast. The Prairieland case now stands as one of the clearest federal warnings yet that judges and juries may treat coordinated attacks on ICE and police as a serious national security threat, not as protected activism.