North Texas defendants to be sentenced for attack on ICE detention center

Eight people who were found guilty of terrorism-related charges earlier this spring for a 2025 attack on a North Texas ICE detention facility are set to learn their punishments on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said on Monday that sentencing for the defendants would happen Tuesday morning, around 8:30 a.m. The verdicts, handed down in March, came as the defendants stood accused in the July 4, 2025, plot targeting the facility in Alvarado following weeks of testimony from investigators, law enforcement, and cooperating witnesses.

Prosecutors said that the group launched a premeditated terror attack on the Prairieland detention center inspired by antifa ideology, by setting off fireworks, vandalizing property, and shooting at police officers who responded. One officer was struck in the neck with a bullet and survived.

Last September, the Trump administration designated antifa as a domestic terror group. Critics of the move argued that antifa, short for anti-fascist, is an ideology, not an actual group with an organized leadership structure and membership. Subscribing to a specific ideology, they say, is not a crime.

There were nine defendants who went to trial and faced a total of 65 charges that included attempted murder, aiding terrorists, and weapons charges. Those who supported the defendants called the charges outrageous, saying the defendants were there protesting ICE and that the government had gone overboard to send a message.

The nine defendants found guilty at trial included:

• Autumn Hill (formerly Cameron Arnold)
• Zachary Evetts
• Benjamin Song
• Savanna Batten
• Meagan Morris (formerly Bradford Morris)
• Maricela Rueda
• Elizabeth Soto
• Ines Soto
• Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada

Prosecutors said Morris, Rueda, Song, Arnold, Evetts, Batten, Sanchez-Estrada, and Elizabeth Soto would be sentenced on Tuesday.

Seven additional defendants pleaded guilty to a single count of providing material support to terrorists, and each faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

What happened at the trial

The trial featured testimony from investigators, law enforcement officers, and several cooperating witnesses. 

Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of fireworks along the facility's tree line and evidence gathered after police arrived, including weapons, tactical gear, and vandalized vehicles. 

Witnesses described how protesters set off fireworks, spray-painted cars, and fled when officers responded, while one cooperating witness testified that Benjamin Song later admitted to shooting an officer. 

Investigators also traced the defendants' phone locations and presented seized items from their homes. Testimony also detailed meetings, group chats, and efforts to help Song evade capture after the shooting.  

Defense attorneys challenged the credibility of cooperating witnesses, questioned the use of terms like "tactical," and argued the group had gathered to protest rather than carry out a coordinated attack. None of the defense attorneys chose to present their own cases, feeling that the government did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Reaction after the verdicts

Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May welcomed the guilty verdicts, noting that Lt. Gross – the officer shot in the neck during the attack – has fully recovered. May said the outcome reflects the consequences of the choices made that night. 

"It's unfortunate for Mr. (Benjamin) Song," he said. "He made some poor decisions, and it seems like he's now going to have to be paying his debt to society."

He also agreed with prosecutors that the defendants could not have reasonably believed they were attending a peaceful protest.

"I don't believe any reasonable person could believe the suspects didn't know what they were doing," May said.

He said the convictions bring closure for the injured officer, his family, and the department. May said officers were doing their jobs when they came under fire and thanked investigators and prosecutors for their work. He said the verdict reinforces their faith in the justice system and that the department remains focused on supporting officers and serving the community.