Nine individuals implicated in a left-wing terrorist plot aimed at an immigrant detention center in Texas received their sentences on federal charges on Friday, according to various reports.
The group’s alleged leader, Benjamin Song, was convicted of attempted murder during a violent anti-deportation protest in Alvarado in July 2025. Reports indicated that jurors also found seven other defendants guilty of providing material support for terrorism, rioting, and other offenses, although some charges against them were dismissed. A ninth defendant, unrelated to the protest, was found guilty of evidence tampering.
This case represents what is being labeled as the first terrorist attack in the U.S. targeting those believed to support Antifa, a group designated in September as a domestic terrorist organization by then-President Donald Trump.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that the protesters arrived at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility clad in black attire, with firearms in close proximity. Chaos ensued when Song reportedly shot Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross in the neck during the fracas. Testimony was presented by the officer, recounting the group’s actions that day.
In text conversations leading up to the protest, one defendant expressed a sentiment that “peaceful protests are over,” declaring that “blue lives don’t matter.”
The defense asserted that Antifa merely represents an ideology, with various accounts suggesting that the defendants had no intention of engaging in violence that evening. The defense initially planned to call several left-wing experts to testify, but the prosecution wrapped up its case on Wednesday, preventing any new evidence from being introduced. According to court documents, jurors were presented with over 200 pieces of evidence, which included firearms, surveillance footage, and materials related to the prior fireworks event, alongside calls for “no more peaceful protests.”
Additionally, beyond federal charges, Song and the others face state-level accusations in Johnson County. Reports indicate that two other individuals have been charged with tampering with evidence related to the incident and conspiring to assist Song.
Following the shooting, Song managed to evade capture for 11 days, fleeing the FBI and Texas authorities, until arrest by SWAT in his Dallas apartment. Before the trial, four individuals had pleaded guilty to federal charges for helping him evade law enforcement, while three others admitted to supporting the illegal actions of the Antifa group.
Prosecutors reportedly called upon 51 witnesses, including co-defendants who had accepted plea deals and law enforcement officials. A terrorism analyst described Antifa as a network of groups with revolutionary anarchist tendencies, advocating for the overthrow of the U.S. government and legal systems.
The trial encountered political complications early on. A mistrial was declared in February when a defense attorney exhibited a shirt displaying civil rights numbers during jury selection.
