Texas ICE Facility Shooting Ringleader Hit With 100-Year Sentence After Officer Was Shot in the Neck

A man prosecutors described as the mastermind behind a violent attack on a Texas immigration detention centre has been handed a staggering 100-year prison sentence after a police officer was shot in the neck during the chaos.

ICE Facility Shooting Ringleader

Benjamin Song, a former US Marine Corps reservist, received the century-long sentence alongside seven co-defendants who collectively drew hundreds of years behind bars for their roles in the Independence Day attack.

Federal judges in Fort Worth sentenced eight defendants connected to the attack on the Prairieland Immigration Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.

Song received the longest sentence after being convicted of the attempted murder of an Alvarado police lieutenant who was shot in the neck during the incident.

According to the US Department of Justice, the group launched the attack during protests on 4 July 2025. Prosecutors said participants fired and threw fireworks, vandalised property and targeted the facility in what authorities later described as an organised assault.

Song was identified by prosecutors as the group's leader and was ultimately sentenced to 100 years in federal prison. Other defendants received sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years.

Prosecutors Said The Attack Went Far Beyond Protest

The Department of Justice said the defendants were convicted on multiple charges, including rioting, weapons offences, obstruction and providing material support to terrorists. Prosecutors alleged the group had ties to what they described as a North Texas Antifa Cell.

Authorities claimed the defendants were motivated by anti-government beliefs and hostility towards law enforcement institutions. Officials argued that the violence endangered officers and damaged public safety.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche praised the sentences, saying they sent a clear message that attacks against law enforcement and federal facilities would face severe consequences.

Federal judges echoed that position. One judge reportedly described terrorism and politically motivated violence as 'an assault on democracy', stressing that courts must respond firmly when public officials and officers are targeted.

Song Claimed He Acted To Protect A Protester

During sentencing proceedings, he told the court he fired his weapon because he believed an officer was preparing to shoot an unarmed protester. He maintained that fear drove his decision rather than any desire to kill.

Outside the courtroom, Song repeated his concerns and suggested the case carried wider implications for activists and demonstrators.

'I know I am the person being judged, but I also know that a case like this can become a warning to everyone else,' he said.

Song argued that people who protest or associate with unpopular causes risk becoming symbols rather than being treated fairly as individuals.

His family also challenged the government's version of events. His mother, Hope Song, disputed allegations that her son intentionally shot the officer and insisted he never intended serious harm.

However, the jury ultimately sided with prosecutors and found him guilty of attempted murder and other offences connected to the attack.

Length Of The Sentences

Defence attorneys argued the case had become heavily politicised and vowed to appeal the convictions and sentences. They claimed the defendants were being punished not only for their actions but also for their political associations.

Supporters gathered outside the courthouse and expressed concern that the sentences were excessively harsh. Family members argued that prison terms stretching decades into the future effectively amounted to life sentences for many of those convicted.

The case also arrives amid heightened scrutiny of Antifa following the Trump administration's designation of the movement as a domestic terrorist organisation.

FBI Director Kash Patel welcomed the outcome, stating that the bureau remained committed to identifying and dismantling violent extremist networks. Meanwhile, prosecutors framed the verdict as a major victory in their effort to combat politically motivated violence.