Main Street Independent

TAG  ·  Religion & Society

civil unrest

Texas anti-ICE protesters get at least 50 years on terrorism charges

Illustration accompanying article: Texas anti-ICE protesters get at least 50 years on terrorism charges
  • A federal judge sentenced nine activists to prison terms of 30 to 100 years for terrorism charges stemming from a July Fourth 2025 protest at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, after a jury in March found them guilty of conspiracy and providing material support for terrorists.
  • Prosecutors said the defendants were part of a “North Texas antifa cell” and that the attack on a police officer — who was shot in the shoulder with an AR-15 and survived — was premeditated, though only Benjamin Song, who received 100 years, fired the weapon.
  • The five other sentenced defendants — Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, and Elizabeth Soto each received 50 years; Maricela Rueda received 70 years; and Daniel Sanchez-Estrada, who was not at the protest, received 30 years for concealing records.
  • Legal observers criticized the use of zines read by a leftwing book club and encrypted messages as evidence of conspiracy, calling it a criminalization of free speech, as similar prosecutions against anti-ICE protesters have been filed in Minnesota, Washington, and Illinois.
 2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READ

Trump DOJ nominee declines to call Jan. 6 an 'attack' during confirmation hearing

Illustration accompanying article: Trump DOJ nominee declines to call Jan. 6 an 'attack' during confirmation
  • Don Berthiaume, President Donald Trump's nominee for permanent Justice Department inspector general, declined during Senate confirmation testimony to describe the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach as an "attack," instead calling it "activity outside the Capitol, protests and such."
  • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed Berthiaume on the Jan. 6 event and characterized the nominee's response as a test of his prospective independence that Berthiaume was "failing."
  • Berthiaume acknowledged physical violence occurred at the Capitol on Jan. 6 but said he did not agree with the term "attack" when Blumenthal asked him directly.
  • The exchange came as Berthiaume seeks permanent confirmation to the inspector general role, after serving as acting inspector general since last year.
 2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Iran war enters new phase as normalisation of fear sets in, analyst says