by Kevin Killough
Eight protesters whom the Justice Department accuses of having ties to Antifa were sentenced Tuesday to decades in federal prison in connection to a shooting last year outside a federal immigration detention center in Texas.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who was one of two judges overseeing the trial, said the demonstration wasn’t a protest but “an assault on democracy.” He said the need to deter the type of behavior seen at the protest is high.
One of the eight protesters, Benjamin Song, who was a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, was convicted of firing a gun during the July 4, 2025, demonstration and wounding a police officer. He was sentenced to 100 years in prison, according to the Associated Press.
Another defendant, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, was convicted of corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents. Others pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists rather than take their case to trial, the wire service also reports. The other defendants received prison terms of 30 to 70 years.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said these “sentences make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice.”
“Their violent extremism has no place in our country, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively investigate, disrupt, and prosecute those who threaten law enforcement officers or undermine the rule of law,” he added.
FBI Director Kash Patel said, “Today’s sentencings show the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and dismantling Antifa and its funding networks across the country.”
“Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism,” he added.
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Kevin Killough is a reporter for Just the News.   Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
