Seven Sentenced Over July Protest Shooting at Texas Detention Center

Seven people were sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Fort Worth for charges connected to a shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, that wounded a police officer. Six of the defendants had pleaded guilty to charges related to the July 4 protest and received terms between nearly two and 15 years.

The seventh defendant, convicted after pleading not guilty, was sentenced to 50 years on counts that included providing material support to terrorists, riot, and planning to use fireworks as explosives.

Judges have already imposed longer terms on eight other defendants convicted at trial, including a 100-year sentence for one former Marine reservist and a matching 50-year term for the spouse of the defendant sentenced to 50 years on Wednesday. Another defendant who did not attend the protest received 30 years.

Federal prosecutors described the protest as an ambush on law enforcement and presented evidence that included political literature recovered from defendants’ homes. Defense attorneys maintained the gathering was a demonstration in support of detained immigrants and that firearms were carried for protection.

“This is injustice": how leftist zines were used to sentence anti-ICE protesters to decades in prison. The case has drawn attention from critics who argue the prosecutions could affect future protest activity and First Amendment protections. Some defendants have filed notices of appeal.”