Texas Jury Convicts Nine Alleged Antifa Members in ICE Center Shooting
A federal jury convicted nine alleged Antifa members on terrorism-related charges after a July 4 attack wounded a police officer outside a Texas ICE detention center — the first such convictions since President Trump designated the movement a domestic terrorist organization.
A bullet passed through Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross's shoulder and out his back on the Fourth of July. On March 13, a federal jury answered for it — convicting nine defendants on terrorism-related charges in what prosecutors call the first federal terrorism convictions against alleged Antifa members since President Trump designated the movement a domestic terrorist organization last September.
Benjamin Song, the defendant prosecutors say fired the shot, allegedly shouted "Get to the rifles!" before opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle on Gross outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Johnson County on July 4, 2025. Song, a former Marine Corps reservist, now faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.
The attack unfolded fast. Fireworks ignited and flew toward the facility at 10:37 p.m. as the group arrived dressed in black. One or two members peeled off to spray-paint anti-ICE graffiti on vehicles and an unoccupied guard booth. Two corrections officers emerged after calling 911. Song allegedly commanded his associates, then opened fire. Gross returned three rounds before officers arrested most of the attackers near the scene. Song slipped away in the chaos.
Law enforcement tracked Song for 11 days before capturing him in Dallas. The other eight defendants — Autumn Hill, Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada — were convicted on various counts, including riot with intent to commit violence and providing material support to terrorists. Sanchez-Estrada, whom prosecutors said was not present at the scene, was convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record and conspiracy to conceal documents.
The 12-day trial drew on more than 210 exhibits and testimony from more than 45 witnesses. Prosecutors seized more than 50 firearms connected to the group, with 11 weapons brought to the scene that night. Defendants wore black bloc clothing with head and face coverings, coordinated through encrypted Signal messages set to auto-delete, and carried their phones in Faraday bags to defeat tracking. Eleven military-grade first aid kits — each stocked with tourniquets — sat among the evidence. The operational detail painted a picture of deliberate, coordinated planning.
The jury acquitted Hill, Evetts, Batten, Morris, Rueda, Elizabeth Soto and Ines Soto of attempted murder but convicted them on terrorism-related counts. Song was found guilty of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. A separate federal jury also convicted Sanchez-Estrada of concealing documents despite his absence from the detention center that night.
Seven additional defendants — Seth Sikes, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp and John Thomas — pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists and testified as cooperating witnesses. The Justice Department has arrested 16 people in connection with the attack in total.
Those cooperating witnesses complicated the prosecution's narrative in court. Several denied under oath that they identified as Antifa members, according to The New York Times. Sikes told the jury he believed he was doing the right thing when he went to the detention center that night — a remark that underscored the ideological conviction driving the group.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi did not frame the verdict narrowly. "Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump," she said. "Today's verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America's streets." U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said the guilty verdicts reflected what he characterized as a vicious attack on law enforcement and detention center officers.
Defense attorneys pushed back hard, and they are not finished. "They're asking you to put protesters in jail for being terrorists," defense attorney Blake Burns told jurors in closing arguments. "That's not something that's happened before." Attorney Cody Cofer said the jury saw through what he characterized as the government's fear-mongering ambush narrative, and both attorneys indicated First Amendment issues will anchor their appeals. Legal scholars at the Brennan Center for Justice argued in October that Trump's Antifa executive order aims to criminalize political opposition — a constitutional question the appellate courts have yet to resolve.
Gross recovered at a Fort Worth hospital, returned to active duty, and will not be in the courtroom when the verdicts become sentences. Sentencing for all defendants is scheduled for June 18, 2026, with the eight terrorism convicts facing between 10 and 60 years in prison. For Gross, the legal reckoning is someone else's to watch. He is already back at work.