Anti-ICE 'antifa' protesters convicted as terrorists in landmark ruling
A group of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters tied to the broader left-wing "antifa" movement was convicted Friday on terrorism-related charges in Texas, in a stunning landmark decision that pushes the limits of the Trump administration's prosecution abilities.
According to The Guardian, "Nine defendants – Benjamin Song, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Savanna Batten, Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto and Daniel Sanchez-Estrada – were all tried together in the case. They faced a mix of charges of providing material support to terrorists, rioting, attempted murder, as well as firearms and explosive charges."
The case stemmed from a Fourth of July protest last year near the Prairieland detention center near Fort Worth; the protesters had planned to use fireworks in solidarity with the protesters inside the area, and some of them began vandalizing government cars and broke a security camera. As police showed up to apprehend them, one protester concealed in the woods shot an officer in the shoulder with an AR-15, wounding them.
The Trump administration was determined to make an example of a relatively rare case of violence stemming from left-wing protest, in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination; they charged the entire incident as a terrorist plot, even though only one of the activists opened fire on police.
During the trial, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, himself an appointee of President Donald Trump, invoked the siege of Waco.
"The nine defendants were convicted on all of the charges they faced, with limited exceptions," the report noted. "Of the five charged with attempted murder and firearms charges, Evetts, Hill, Morris and Rueda were acquitted. Song was acquitted on two charges of attempted murder and convicted on one. He was also convicted of the firearms charges."
The DFW Support Committee, the group providing aid to the defendants, posted on X in response to the verdict: "We have a verdict and we are heartbroken at the results. This is only the beginning. We will continue to fight the remaining charges until every defendant is home."
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