Texas Court Hands Down Giant Sentences for Attack on Immigration Center. Group Leader Receives 100 Years in Prison
The accused received sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years in prison for attacking a federal immigration center in Texas. Armed left-wing radicals opened fire on police officers and wounded one of them, writes the BBC.
Alvarado, Texas, illustrative photo Wikimedia Commons
A jury found nine defendants guilty in March. On Tuesday, June 23, the court determined the sentences for eight of the defendants. The sentencing for another defendant in the case is scheduled for July.
The longest sentence was given to Benjamin Song, whom the investigation considered the group's leader. He was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Six other individuals received sentences of 50 to 70 years. One of the defendants, found guilty of less severe crimes and who was not even present during the action, received 30 years in prison.
The incident occurred on July 4, 2025, near the "Prairieland" detention center in Alvarado, Texas — a facility where immigrants are held under the control of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
About a dozen people in black clothing arrived at the center after dark. According to the prosecution, some began to spray-paint walls and a service vehicle, while others damaged a surveillance camera. They also launched fireworks.
The group's leader, Benjamin Song, a former Marine, was at some distance, armed with a rifle. When a police officer arrived in response to an alarm call, Song shot at him. The police officer was wounded, and the attackers dispersed.
Later, the activists were arrested and charged with terrorist activity.
As Reuters writes, lawyers stated that the defendants planned a peaceful protest in support of people held at the immigration center and denied the group's connection to "Antifa," a decentralized anti-fascist movement that President Donald Trump last year declared a "domestic terrorist organization."
Song's lawyer, Philip Hayes, stated that his client intends to appeal. According to him, the convicted individuals are not "a bunch of terrorists" but a group of young people "who wanted their voices to be heard." In turn, after the sentencing, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on social media that he welcomed the court's decision, adding that "extremist violence has no place in our country."
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