Seven more sentenced over Texas ICE detention centre shooting

US prosecutors have alleged those involved in the Prairieland Detention Center protest were linked to antifa.Seven more people have been sentenced to prison over a protest that culminated in a police officer being shot outside an immigration detention centre last year.A federal court in Fort Worth handed down the latest sentences on Wednesday. Critics, however, say the case could reshape how protest is prosecuted in the United States.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why is Trump targeting antifa under terrorism laws?list 2 of 4Trump administration targets European antifa groups as ‘global terrorists’list 3 of 4US Justice Department accuses 15 Minnesota activists of ‘antifa’ activitieslist 4 of 4Protesters sentenced to decades in US prison over alleged antifa tiesend of listThe case centres on a shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center, near Dallas, Texas, that took place during an antigovernment protest.Six of the defendants in Wednesday’s sentencing hearing had pleaded guilty to providing material support to “terrorism” and received prison terms ranging from nearly two to 15 years.A seventh defendant, Ines Soto, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted of “providing material support to terrorists”, as well as charges related to rioting and conspiracy to carry an explosive.The protest in question took place on the night of July 4, 2025. Activists had gathered outside Prairieland to denounce President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportation. Some set off fireworks. Others have been accused of vandalism.Prosecutors said that, during the demonstration, former US Marine reservist Benjamin Song shot and wounded a police officer who had just arrived at the centre. Song had reportedly shouted, “Get out the rifles,” prior to opening fire.The Trump administration has described the protest as an act of “terrorism”, and 19 people were ultimately arrested.Some of those detained were not present at the Prairieland protest. But the Trump administration has designated antifa — a loose-knit, left-wing antifascist movement — as a “domestic terrorist organisation”, and it accused the protest’s supporters of being part of an “antifa cell”.