Jury Calls Black Clothes and Fireworks ‘Terrorism’ in Prairieland ICE Convictions

Eight of nine defendants were convicted Friday of providing material support to terrorists for wearing black bloc clothing and setting off fireworks outside the Prairieland ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025. The jury returned the verdicts after roughly a day and a half of deliberations in Fort Worth, capping a 12-day trial that featured testimony from 45 witnesses and 210 exhibits. Benjamin Song alone was found guilty of attempted murder for shooting Lt. Thomas Gross in the neck with an AR-15 modified for a higher rate of fire. Gross survived, and Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May told reporters the officer has fully recovered.

Federal prosecutors say Song faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison for the attempted murder and firearms counts. Autumn Hill, Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto each face 10 to 60 years on the combined terrorism, explosives, and riot convictions. Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada, who was not present the night of the attack, was convicted only of concealing documents and conspiracy to conceal documents; he faces up to 40 years. Seven additional co-defendants who pleaded guilty before trial each face up to 15 years on a single material-support count. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman will set sentencing dates for all 16 defendants.

Prosecutors argued that the defendants’ matching black bloc attire amounted to a tactical uniform that helped Song escape after the shooting and therefore constituted material support to terrorists. A researcher from a right-wing think tank told jurors that black bloc, Signal encrypted messaging, and the zine “Torch” found in boxes moved by Sanchez-Estrada after Rueda’s arrest were hallmarks of antifa activity. The jury agreed, convicting eight defendants of providing material support to terrorists—the first time federal prosecutors have won such charges against alleged antifa members. The same eight were also convicted of carrying and using explosives during a riot based on the fireworks shot toward the facility.

Defense attorneys countered that the group brought a megaphone to chant slogans audible to detainees inside the center and that carrying guns and first-aid kits is legal in Texas. They attacked the credibility of four cooperating witnesses who testified under plea deals, noting none of the remaining defendants took the stand. No defense case was presented; lawyers argued the government failed to prove a coordinated attack. A support group for the defendants posted online that the trial was “built on political persecution and ideological attacks coming from the top.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement praising the verdict and warning that today’s convictions “will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa.” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital the bureau is committed to “identifying, locating, and dismantling ANTIFA members and their networks,” adding that anyone who targets federal agents “will face the full force of federal law.” The administration designated antifa a domestic terror group last September, and the first charges in the Prairieland case were filed weeks later.