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Protesters in Texas face decades in prison on 'terror' charges linked to demonstration
In a case related to a police officer's injury during a protest at an immigration detention center in Texas, USA, eight defendants, including a former Marine, were sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison. The prosecution alleged ties to 'antifa'.
Song sentenced to 100 years in prison
In a case related to a shooting during a protest at a Texas immigration detention center last year, former U.S. Marine Corps reservist Benjamin Song and seven others were sentenced to decades in prison after a police officer was injured.
Song was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum penalty of 100 years in prison for opening fire during a protest on the night of July 4 in front of the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas.
The other seven defendants received prison sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years. All but one of the defendants were convicted on terrorism charges.
Prosecution alleges 'terrorism'
Prosecutors described the incident as an act of "terrorism," alleging that the eight individuals were linked to the left-wing activist group antifa, which U.S. President Donald Trump has designated a "domestic terrorist organization."
District Judge Reed O'Connor, one of two judges presiding over the trials, said the events were not a protest but an "attack on democracy." O'Connor stated, "There is a high need to deter such behavior."
Strong statement from the Justice Department
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a written statement, "The sentences handed down today make clear that antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice."
Trump, through an executive order signed on September 22, labeled antifa as "terrorist" even though the State Department's list of "foreign terrorist organizations" has no domestic equivalent. Antifa is known as an umbrella term describing far-left activist groups that combat neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
Reactions from defendants and families
Defense attorneys, however, denied that the defendants had any connection to antifa. Family members expressed shock and anger over the harsh sentences.
Autumn Hill, whose wife Lydia Koza received a 50-year prison sentence, said, "I'm furious. The government wants to take her entire life away for participating in a protest. No one died."
Phillip Hayes, the attorney for Song, who received a 100-year sentence, said they would appeal the verdict. Hayes rejected the characterization of his client as "extremist," saying, "This is a group of young people and young adults with really big hearts who wanted to have their voices heard."
Some defendants deny involvement in planning
While prosecutor Frank Gatto argued that "people with such extreme beliefs need extra time in prison," the defendants and their families pleaded for mercy from the court.
Autumn Hill, who received a 50-year prison sentence, said the gathering felt more like a party to her and that she and participants did not expect any violence.
Attorney Chris Tolbert for defendant Savanna Batten stated that his client did not bring firearms, spray paint, or fireworks to the detention center and also did not participate in planning the protest. Batten was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Another protester, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, was not present at Prairieland on the night of the shooting and was not involved in the planning, it was stated. Sanchez Estrada, convicted only of document concealment, received a 30-year prison sentence.
Some previously accepted charges of supporting 'terrorists'
Some other defendants had previously accepted charges of providing material support to "terrorists" rather than taking the case to trial.
The Texas case drew attention at a time when critics warned it could have a broad impact on protest and free speech rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Last week, federal prosecutors charged 15 people in Minnesota for allegedly obstructing the Trump administration's immigration operations.
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