By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Eight protesters convicted of their roles in a July 4, 2025 shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas were sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years, with prosecutors characterizing the incident as an act of terrorism.
- Benjamin Song, a 26-year-old former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, received the maximum 100-year sentence after conviction of opening fire during the demonstration, which wounded a police officer.
- The seven other defendants received sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years; two defendants, Autumn Hill and Savanna Batten, each received 50-year sentences.
- The defendants were convicted by the Justice Department on charges stemming from the shooting; prosecutors alleged affiliation with antifa, though the defendants denied the claim and maintained they attended to support detained immigrants.
- U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor stated the incident constituted “an assault on democracy” and emphasized the need for enhanced deterrence of such conduct.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Eight individuals convicted in federal court for their roles in a July 4, 2025 shooting outside an immigration detention facility were sentenced to lengthy prison terms Tuesday, with the lead defendant receiving a 100-year federal sentence.
Benjamin Song, 26, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, was sentenced to the maximum 100 years in prison after conviction of opening fire during a demonstration outside the Prairieland Detention Center, located near Dallas in Alvarado. The gunfire wounded a police officer who had responded to the facility. Seven co-defendants received federal sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, one of two judges overseeing the proceedings, characterized the July 4 event as more than a protest. “The need to deter this type of conduct is high,” O’Connor said during sentencing.
The Justice Department prosecuted the defendants on charges related to the shooting, with prosecutors alleging the eight have ties to antifa, a decentralized organization designated by the Trump administration as a domestic terrorist organization in 2025. The defendants disputed this characterization, maintaining they attended the demonstration in support of immigrants held in the detention facility and did not intend for violence to occur.
Song’s mother, Hope Song, challenged prosecutors’ account of events, disputing claims that her son fired the shots that wounded the officer. Song’s defense attorney, Phillip Hayes, argued that his client’s shots were defensive return fire and that a ricochet from the officer’s own weapon struck him after the officer arrived and drew his firearm. Hayes stated Song would appeal the 100-year sentence and noted his client previously had maintained an exemplary record.
Defense counsel also argued that other defendants and participants in the gathering had peacefully attended the demonstration without anticipating violence. Autumn Hill and Savanna Batten, both sentenced to 50 years in prison, made statements to the court requesting leniency, with Hill characterizing the event as resembling more of a gathering than an organized protest action.
Some of the eight defendants had previously elected to plead guilty to providing material support to terrorists rather than proceed to trial. Federal prosecutors have also charged 15 additional individuals in Minnesota in connection with alleged antifa activities aimed at impeding the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations.