- Federal prosecutors secured sentences totaling four hundred fifty years for eight anti-ICE protesters in Texas.
- Benjamin Song received a one hundred year prison term for shooting a police officer during the demonstration.
- The cases represent the first major prosecutions under N-S-P-M seven, targeting domestic political activists.
Federal prosecutors secured prison sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years for eight Texas anti-ICE protesters on June 23, 2026, over a July 4, 2025 demonstration outside the Prairieland ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas.
A police officer was shot during the protest. The eight sentences total 450 years in federal prison, according to the case summary, and represent the first major prosecutions brought under NSPM-7.
The memorandum, signed by President Donald Trump in September 2025, directs attention toward “Antifa” and left-wing activists. The protest occurred before the memorandum was signed.
The officer suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and survived. Benjamin Song, a former Marine reservist, received the longest sentence, 100 years.
Song’s convictions included rioting, material support to terrorists, attempted murder of officers and discharging a firearm. The case record also identifies him as the defendant convicted of shooting the police officer.
Other defendants received lengthy terms for different conduct. Maricela Rueda received 70 years, the second-longest sentence, for rioting, supporting terrorists and using explosives.
Savanna Batten received 50 years for riot, material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use explosives and using explosives. She was not convicted of firing a weapon.
Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada received 30 years for “corruptly concealing a document.” The charge involved transporting a box of anti-fascist zines after the protest.
The other seven defendants received terms ranging from 30 to 70 years. Their convictions involved rioting, supporting terrorists, using explosives and obstructing justice. All seven were acquitted of attempted murder.
Officials called the protest a terrorist attack, while advocates challenged that characterization
The Trump administration labeled the demonstration a “terrorist attack” and pursued the defendants through its domestic terrorism framework. FBI Director Kash Patel called the prosecutions a “blow against Antifa and its funding networks.”
Those descriptions reflect the administration’s position, not an uncontested finding about the protest or the defendants’ political activity. The National Lawyers Guild condemned the sentences as “extreme.”
“30 to 100 years for attending a Fourth of July noise demonstration”
The guild made that statement while criticizing the prison terms. Advocates have described the case as a “political witch hunt” targeting people labeled “Antifa.”
Critics argue that the prosecution criminalizes First Amendment-protected political activity and equates left-wing politics with terrorism. The federal case therefore combines a surviving officer, a firearms conviction and terrorism-related charges with a broader dispute over political organizing.
Fifteen Prairieland defendants have received 556 years under the framework
As of July 2026, 15 Prairieland defendants had received sentences totaling 556 years under the same framework. That figure includes the eight people sentenced on June 23.
| Defendant or group | Sentence | Convictions or conduct described in the case material |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Song | 100 years | Rioting, material support to terrorists, attempted murder of officers, discharging a firearm and shooting the officer |
| Maricela Rueda | 70 years | Rioting, supporting terrorists and using explosives |
| Savanna Batten | 50 years | Riot, material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use explosives and using explosives; not convicted of firing a weapon |
| Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada | 30 years | “Corruptly concealing a document” involving a box of anti-fascist zines |
| Seven other defendants | 30 to 70 years | Rioting, supporting terrorists, using explosives and obstructing justice; all acquitted of the attempted-murder charge |
State charges and appeals remain pending for some defendants. The federal sentences do not resolve every proceeding connected with the July 4, 2025 protest.
