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Eight Defendants Sentenced for Attempted Murder After Firing on Police at Texas ICE Facility
A Texas man received a 100-year federal prison term for wounding a police officer during a July 2025 protest at an immigration detention center. Seven other defendants linked to the same incident received sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years.
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A man convicted of attempted murder was sentenced Tuesday to 100 years in federal prison after shooting and wounding a police officer during a protest outside a Texas immigration detention center. Seven other defendants received prison terms between 30 and 70 years in the same proceeding.
Prosecutors said the group had ties to antifa and targeted the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado on July 4, 2025.
Sentencing Details U.S.
District Judge Reed O'Connor presided over the hearing in Fort Worth and described the incident as an assault on democracy rather than a protected protest. The judge emphasized the need for strong deterrence in handing down the sentences. Benjamin Song, the defendant who fired the shots, was convicted last March.
His attorney, Philip Hayes, said Song had served as a Marine and maintained an otherwise clean record before the shooting.
“Our issue with this case has always been this isn't a bunch of terrorists. This is a bunch of kids and young adults who really have a really big heart and really wanted their voice to be heard.”
The defendants have denied any formal affiliation with antifa and said they attended the demonstration to support immigrants held inside the facility. Several pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists rather than proceed to trial. One defendant, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, was convicted of corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents.
