Seven more sentenced in Texas detention center shooting case

Seven more people were sentenced to prison Wednesday in a federal case stemming from a July 4 protest outside a Texas immigration detention center where a police officer was shot and wounded, extending a series of lengthy prison terms that critics say could affect how protest activity is prosecuted in the United States.

The latest sentences were handed down in federal court in Fort Worth and relate to events outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas. Six defendants had pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorism and received prison terms ranging from nearly two years to 15 years. A seventh defendant, Ines Soto, who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to 50 years after being convicted of providing material support to terrorists, riot-related charges and planning to use explosives in the form of fireworks, according to The Guardian.

The protest took place at night on July 4, 2025, Al Jazeera reported. Activists had gathered outside Prairieland to oppose President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportation. Some set off fireworks, and others were accused of vandalism.

Prosecutors alleged the demonstrators conspired to ambush law enforcement as part of what they described as an “antifa cell.” Antifa, short for the loosely networked anti-fascist movement, is not a single organization or group, though the Trump administration has designated it a domestic terrorist organization. The government ultimately arrested 19 people in connection with the case, according to Al Jazeera.

Prosecutors said former U.S. Marine reservist Benjamin “Champagne” Song shot and wounded a police officer who had just arrived at the detention center. Al Jazeera reported that Song had reportedly shouted, “Get out the rifles,” before opening fire. Song was previously convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 100 years in prison.

The same judges had already sentenced eight defendants who went to trial, including Song and Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto’s wife, who received 50 years. The other defendants received terms ranging from 30 to 70 years. One defendant, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, was sentenced to 30 years despite not attending the protest, The Guardian reported. Al Jazeera reported that Sanchez Estrada has argued his only crime was moving a box of belongings, including zines, while prosecutors characterized his actions as “transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials” and trying to conceal them.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who sentenced some of the defendants last week, called the incident an “assault on democracy” and said “the need to deter this type of conduct is high,” according to Al Jazeera.

Prosecutors argued that the group’s actions, including bringing firearms, first aid kits and body armor, showed nefarious intent. The FBI also included political literature found in defendants’ homes as part of the case, The Guardian reported.

Defense attorneys have rejected the government’s account. They said there was no planned ambush and argued that people who brought firearms did so for their own protection, citing Second Amendment rights. They also said the gathering was intended as a late-night demonstration with fireworks to show support for immigrants detained inside Prairieland.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the prosecutions after the earlier sentences. “The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” he said in a statement last week.

Civil liberties advocates and other critics say the case could have broad implications for protesters nationwide and may test First Amendment free-speech protections. Several defendants, including Song and Sanchez Estrada, have filed notices of appeal, according to Al Jazeera. The Guardian reported that Elizabeth Soto also has filed a notice of appeal.