Nine Texas activists convicted of terrorism charges received sentences ranging from 50 to 100 years in prison Tuesday, marking what legal experts say is an unusually harsh penalty for protest-related conduct and raising questions about how the Trump administration is pursuing dissent cases.
The defendants were found guilty in March following a three-week trial stemming from a July 4th demonstration at an immigrant detention facility in Alvarado, south of Fort Worth. The protest was intended as a noise demonstration using fireworks to show solidarity with detainees inside the facility. What started as a planned action escalated when some participants vandalized vehicles in the parking lot, damaged a guard shack, slashed tires on a government van, and broke a security camera. When police arrived, one activist fired an AR-15 from nearby woods, striking an officer in the shoulder. The officer survived.
Benjamin Song, who fired the shot, received a 100-year sentence. Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years. Five others, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto and Meagan Morris, each received 50-year sentences. Daniel Sanchez-Estrada, who was not present at the protest but was convicted of concealing documents after his wife's arrest, received 30 years.
The severity of these sentences stands out sharply in comparison. Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, noted that judges typically run sentences concurrently rather than consecutively. She said she would have expected sentences in the 15 to 25-year range, not 50 to 100 years.
The punishments far exceed those given in major January 6th Capitol riot cases. Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys and convicted of seditious conspiracy, received 22 years. Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years.
Prosecutors argued the shooting was premeditated and part of a broader conspiracy, describing the defendants as a "North Texas antifa cell." The characterization drew criticism from legal observers who noted that "antifa" is not an organization but rather a loose collection of anti-fascist political views. Eight of nine defendants were convicted on charges of providing material support for terrorists, a charge that does not require prosecutors to prove connection to any terrorist ideology but only to a list of specified crimes.
The defendants were loosely affiliated through a local leftist book club and gun group. Prosecutors presented evidence including encrypted Signal messages and reading materials like political zines to establish the conspiracy. Legal experts have criticized this approach as criminalizing free speech and ordinary organizing activities.
Not all defendants played equal roles. Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto, and her husband Ines Soto were not involved in planning, arrived separately, and left when facility guards requested it. Meagan Morris remained in a parked van that served as transport, watching over weapons and body armor while the demonstration occurred. She fled when police arrived and was arrested later during a traffic stop. All firearms involved were purchased legally, and Song was the only person to discharge a weapon.
The case reflects a broader government strategy. Prosecutors have filed similar charges against 15 activists in Minneapolis accused of interfering with ICE agents. A federal jury in Spokane found three protesters guilty of conspiracy for participating in a 2025 ICE facility protest. A comparable case in Chicago unraveled after misconduct was revealed involving grand jury proceedings.
The Texas convictions have drawn attention as a potential bellwether for how aggressively the current administration will pursue activists engaged in civil disobedience and property damage. The combination of terrorism charges, lengthy consecutive sentences, and the characterization of loosely affiliated protesters as a coordinated cell has set a precedent that extends far beyond traditional criminal standards for similar conduct.
Author James Rodriguez: "These sentences represent a dramatic escalation in how the government treats protest gone wrong, and the disparity with January 6th cases should worry anyone concerned about equal application of the law."
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