DOJ charges 15 anti-ICE suspects linked to Antifa in Minnesota
The Department of Justice has unveiled charges against 15 individuals in Minnesota, accusing them of being anti-ICE activists with purported links to the group Antifa. The allegations include claims of organizing violent protests, as well as training and supplying demonstrators, according to federal prosecutors.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced that eight protesters, allegedly connected to the far-left collective Antifa, have been sentenced to extensive federal prison terms. These sentences stemmed from their involvement in a violent attack on July 4, 2025, outside an immigration detention facility in North Texas.
Among those sentenced was Benjamin Song, a former reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps, who previously faced a conviction for attempted murder after shooting Alvarado Police Lieutenant Thomas Gross. He received the maximum penalty of 100 years imprisonment, as reported by The Associated Press.
Another seven individuals faced prison terms ranging from 30 to 70 years. This group includes Autumn Hill and Savanna Batten, each handed a 50-year sentence, according to the same report.
During the sentencing proceedings, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor characterized the event not merely as a protest, but rather as “an assault on democracy.”
Supporters of protesters convicted over a shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center display signs in support of the defendants outside a federal courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Kendria LaFleur)
Prosecutor Frank Gatto urged the judge to impose stiff penalties, saying the defendants hold extremist beliefs and “believe violence is justified.”
The lengthy sentences follow a federal jury trial in Fort Worth where the defendants, described by the DOJ as members of a North Texas Antifa cell, were convicted of providing material support to terrorists, rioting and conspiring to use and carry explosives, News Media previously reported.
Authorities said the ambush at the Prairieland ICE detention center involved fireworks, gunfire directed at officers, and damage to vehicles and buildings.
FILE – Law enforcement officers gather outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, after an ambush on July 4, 2025. Authorities said a group created a distraction with fireworks and graffiti before opening fire on corrections and police officers outside the facility. (Mark David Smith/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Despite the convictions, the defendants and their families have denied any affiliation with Antifa, maintaining that they were demonstrating in support of detained immigrants, The AP reported.
Song’s attorney, Phillip Hayes, argued his client only provided “suppressive fire” and that the police officer was struck by a ricocheted bullet after “aggressively” drawing his gun.
FILE – Numerous suspects in the ambush attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas stand in front of a photo from the crime scene. (Johnson County Sheriff’s Office)
“Song, aside from this day, has had an impeccable life. A former Marine. A good student,” Hayes said, noting Song’s intent to appeal. “He had a lot of good qualities that were just ignored. The judge went ahead and gave as much as he could.”
The case and subsequent convictions have been a focus for the Trump administration, which has prioritized cracking down on far-left militant groups. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Supporters of protesters convicted over a shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center display signs in support of the defendants outside a federal courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Kendria LaFleur)
Following the initial guilty verdicts, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the administration will “systematically dismantle Antifa,” while FBI official Kash Patel highlighted the bureau’s 24/7 commitment to hunting down and dismantling Antifa networks that attack federal law enforcement.