• From “In Contempt”: December updates on the Prairieland case

    Reproduced below is a section from the December 10, 2025 publication of In Contempt, which is a monthly report on prison rebels, State repression, and news from an abolitionist perspective.

    Prairieland Defendants

    The state has seriously escalated repression over the now 18 people facing charges from the immigrant solidarity demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025. Under the new “domestic terrorism” orders targeting “antifa.”

    The DFW Support Committee has reported that after 12 more defendants were federally indicted under new charges, including rioting, attempted murder, and material support for terrorism, with federal prosecutors offering early plea deals recommending sentences of up to 15 years in prison, 9 defendants plead guilty.

    Fortunately, 9 defendants––Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin Song, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto––plead not guilty, refusing to collaborate against their co-defendants, fighting their bogus, politically-motivated charges, and taking their cases to trial. 

    According to a recent statement by the DFW Support Committee,

    “The superseding indictment makes unproven claims, mischaracterizes facts, and takes quotes out of context,” said Stephanie Shiver, wife of defendant Meagan Morris. “Claims of adherence to a political ideology like anti-fascism, whether true or not, are not grounds to charge someone with terrorism and do not belong in an indictment,” continued Shiver. “By associating the Prairieland case with Antifa, the government is using terrorism charges to spread fear and intimidation, and to carry out sweeping political repression.”

    Prejudicial statements related to these cases have been made repeatedly by officials at the highest levels of government, undermining the defendants’ ability to get a fair trial. The Trump administration has publicly claimed that the Prairieland case is the first legal case against Antifa, while Trump declared Antifa a domestic terrorist organization. On September 25, the White House released the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7), which ordered all federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize combating Antifa as a domestic terrorism threat. FBI director Kash Patel has called the Prairieland defendants “Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists,” sharing Fox News coverage of the case on X.

    Yet, supporters are refuting the claims of terrorism and planned violence. “As the Prairieland case progresses, it looks more and more like a protest case involving people expressing solidarity with detained immigrants,” said Amber Lowrey, sister of defendant Savanna Batten. “The federal government is trying to reframe protest activity as terrorism, and we’re seeing this attempted across the country, from Chicago to Portland, and now here in Dallas-Fort Worth.”

    Federal arraignments for defendants who refused plea deals were held on December 3, and sentencing hearings for those who took the plea deals will be held at the Ft. Worth Federal Courthouse on March 12 and March 19.

    The DFW Support Committee has announced that they’ve raised enough money to hire a successful federal defense attorney for one of the defendants. They’re hoping to raise at least $15,000 beyond what they have left so they can retain more attorneys for other defendants. This is especially important given that the federal trials are set to begin on January 5, 2026.

    The ongoing fundraiser is available at https://www.givesendgo.com/supportdfwprotestors

    On December 9, WordPress.com suspended the website for the DFW Support Committee for alleged terms of services agreement violations: a new site has been launched on Noblogs.

    As far as we’re aware, the addresses of the non-cooperating defendants are:

    Cameron Arnold #11138-512
    (write letter to Autumn Hill)
    Benjamin Hanil Song #11137-512
    Bradford Morris #11136-512
    (write letter to Meagan Morris)
    Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada #95099-511
    Ines Houston Soto #11144-512
    Zachary Evetts #11141-512

    FMC Fort Worth
    Federal Medical Center
    P.O. Box 15330
    Fort Worth, TX 76119

    Elizabeth Soto #100005
    Janette Goering #202503019
    Joy Gibson #100009
    Maricela Rueda #100010
    Rebecca Morgan #100008
    Savanna Batten #100006

    Wichita County Detention Center, TX
    P.O. Box 247
    Phoenix, MD 21131

    A regularly updated letter-writing zine with recent updates about the case is available to print and share.

    support-dfw-ice-protesters-imposedDownload

    Free Des!

    Supporters of Des Revol––anarchist, artist, and immigrant being held on ICE hold after bogus charges relating to allegedly moving a box of zines––were heartbroken after Des was released from prison and told that his charges were dismissed which in a cruel twist was a “clerical error,” and now Des is back in custody after voluntarily surrendering himself at FMC Fort Worth surrounded by supporters. 

    Read the Free Des press release about the cruel events.

    Des also released a public statement on December 4:

    Hello! First of all. All honor and glory to creator for granting me the miracle of being here.

    My name is Daniel Sanchez “Des,” and I’ve lived in the Dallas–Fort Worth area most of my life. I have been incarcerated in a federal facility about 5 months since July 6.

    I want to be very clear. I did not participate. I was not aware nor did I have any knowledge about the events that transpired on July 4 outside the Prairieland Detention Center. Despite not having any knowledge or not having been near the area at all, I was violently arrested at gunpoint for allegedly making a “wide turn.” My feeling is that I was only arrested because I’m married to Mari Rueda, who is being accused of being at the noise demo showing support to migrants who are facing deportation under deplorable conditions. For this accusation, she’s being threatened with a life sentence in prison.

    My charge is allegedly having a box containing magazine “zines,” books, and artwork. Items that are in the possession of millions of people in the United States. Items that are available free online, and available to purchase at stores and online even at places like Amazon. Items that should be protected under the First Amendment “freedom of speech.” If this is happening to me now, it’s only a matter of time before it happens to you.

    I believe there’s been almost 20 people arrested in supposed relation to this public noise demo. More than half of those were arrested days later despite not being in the area and are now facing a slew of outrageous charges, in what seems like a political persecution to instill fear on people exercising their First Amendment right.

    On November 2 around 9 a.m. while still in federal custody, I was suddenly ordered to pack all of my property, rushing me and refusing to let me know where I was going. I began to think the worst: that I was being moved away from loved ones for no reason other than to continue to put pressure on me to sign a plea agreement for something I didn’t do. Later on, I was told my charges had been dismissed and I was being released. But since I didn’t hear from my lawyer, I thought they were messing with me. Two hours later, I was being walked out of the prison with no paperwork. It felt like psychological torture, the anxiety, the uncertainty. I imagined they would just wait for me to walk out to arrest me again somehow.

    The last few days have been very surreal, and it’s been a roller coaster of emotions. The fear and anxiety that they would raid my loved ones again or try to add more fictitious charges. To the love, joy, and laughter of seeing my family and hugging them one more time after the trauma we all endured. It’s a blessing, and we celebrated my birthday, Xmas, and New Years in one night.

    I’m not a violent person. I love people and animals, walking in nature, making art, reading, cooking vegan food for people, teaching kids, and doing fundraisers for people and animals that need help. I co-parent a really cool stepdaughter who is amazing and super funny, and tragically, is now having to live without two of her most important adults, [me and Mari,] who were abruptly taken away from her. I’m thankful for everyone showing her and my family love and care while we overcome this tragic situation.

    This has been a confusing, bittersweet moment, embracing my loved ones, just to be taken away from them again. The charges I and others are facing are scary, and I would be lying if I said I’m not scared. I love this country and the promise of freedom of speech, justice, equity, and the pursuit of happiness. I’m not hiding. I’m not fleeing. And obvious I’ve never been a danger to the community. I’m turning myself in for trial because I’m innocent.

    With a desire for a world full of love, kindness, empathy, equity, and freedom. Like in sunflowers breaking through concrete. Like butterflies flying freely. Under the same moon. I will continue to walk with dignity. I have faith and living hope in my heart.

    Thank you all for the support. I can feel all of your love. I’m beyond grateful for every letter, poem, book, donation, and every prayer.

    Honor creator and all existence.
    Love your neighbor as yourself.
    No one is free, until all are free.
    Blessings.

    A recent article about Des’s case is available to read on the Intercept, “The Feds Want to Make It Illegal to Even Possess an Anarchist Zine.” A zine version of this article was posted by MBTA Distro.

    A public letter is available to sign on to: https://freedes.net/sign-on-letter/

    And resources are available from Free Des to print and share, like the “Zines Are Not A Crime” zine or a “Zines Are Not A Crime” button sheet.

    Des Zine – Imposed Version

    Supporters have also been sharing images of Des’s beautiful revolutionary artwork

    Write to Des:

    Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada #95099-511
    FMC Fort Worth
    Federal Medical Center
    P.O. Box 15330
    Fort Worth, TX 76119

  • WordPress Suspended Previous Site – Migrated to NoBlogs.org

    We want to let all of our supporters know that the DFW Support Committee WordPress is currently down. WordPress has suspended our account based on a supposed violation of terms of service. We do not currently know why this happened and are working to get it back up. In the meantime, please use this current site, which we will be updating soon:


    https://dfwdefendants.noblogs.org/

  • Anti-Repression Workshop in Dallas-Fort Worth

    Join us this Tuesday, December 9 for an in-person anti-repression workshop where we will contextualize the Prairieland cases within a larger pattern of state repression, and build skills and strategies to resist the attack on our communities together.

    This workshop will be hosted in Dallas-Fort Worth by the National Lawyers Guild’s Director of Mass Defense and co-directors at the People’s Law Collective, which helped beat the Atlanta Cop City RICO cases.

    Please email us at dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com for more details.

  • Nine Defendants in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case Plead Not Guilty in Federal Arraignments This Week

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    December 3, 2025

    CONTACT:
    DFW Support Committee

    dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com

    Nine Defendants in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case Plead Not Guilty in Federal Arraignments This Week

    Federal Jury Trials Are Scheduled to Start January 5 for Nine Defendants, As Sentencing Hearings Approach in March for Seven Defendants Who Pleaded Guilty Last Month

    DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Nine defendants in the Prairieland ICE Detention Center protest case pleaded ‘not guilty’ today to federal charges, including riot, discharging a firearm, attempted murder, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to conceal documents. A federal superseding indictment was filed in the Prairieland case on November 13 by Acting US Attorney Nancy Larson, just four days before Trump appointed former federal prosecutor Ryan Raybould as US Attorney on November 17.

    Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin Song, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto pleaded ‘not guilty’ at their federal arraignments on December 3. All nine defendants are fighting their charges by taking their cases to trial. Federal jury trials are scheduled to begin January 5, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth.

    “The superseding indictment makes unproven claims, mischaracterizes facts, and takes quotes out of context,” said Stephanie Shiver, wife of defendant Meagan Morris. “Claims of adherence to a political ideology like anti-fascism, whether true or not, are not grounds to charge someone with terrorism and do not belong in an indictment,” continued Shiver. “By associating the Prairieland case with Antifa, the government is using terrorism charges to spread fear and intimidation, and to carry out sweeping political repression.”

    Prejudicial statements related to these cases have been made repeatedly by officials at the highest levels of government, undermining the defendants’ ability to get a fair trial. The Trump administration has publicly claimed that the Prairieland case is the first legal case against Antifa, while Trump declared Antifa a domestic terrorist organization. On September 25, the White House released the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7), which ordered all federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize combating Antifa as a domestic terrorism threat. FBI director Kash Patel has called the Prairieland defendants “Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists,” sharing Fox News coverage of the case on X.

    Yet, supporters are refuting the claims of terrorism and planned violence. “As the Prairieland case progresses, it looks more and more like a protest case involving people expressing solidarity with detained immigrants,” said Amber Lowrey, sister of defendant Savanna Batten. “The federal government is trying to reframe protest activity as terrorism, and we’re seeing this attempted across the country, from Chicago to Portland, and now here in Dallas-Fort Worth.”

    The recent arraignments and not guilty pleas come as the District Court of Johnson County is set to hear a motion to quash the State indictment against Dario Sanchez on January 8. Fifteen people were indicted on State charges in the Prairieland case and nine people were indicted on federal charges, forcing many defendants to concurrently fight their State and federal charges. Seven defendants pleaded guilty to federal charges last month and are awaiting sentencing in March.

    Exorbitant bonds of up to $15 million are being used in the State cases to imprison people who do not represent a flight risk or a danger to the community. Supporters believe that pretrial detention is being used by the government to hinder the defense and to maintain the dominant narrative in the media.

    The Prairieland case stems from a noise demonstration in solidarity with detainees at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025. Toward the end of the demonstration, an officer with the Alvarado Police Department arrived and allegedly quickly became involved in an exchange of gunfire with someone else on the scene. The officer sustained minor injuries and was released from the hospital shortly afterwards. Ten people were arrested at the scene or shortly after, and a manhunt ensued in the subsequent days for another defendant. Eight more defendants were arrested in the days and weeks following the protest.

    # # #

    For more information on the Prairieland cases and the DFW Support Committee: dfwdefendants.wordpress.com

  • Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada

    Des Revol—a tattoo artist, PoC anarchist, immigrant, and all-around sweetheart—is currently facing serious charges related to transporting “antifa materials” (aka zines) in the larger Prairieland case of political repression in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

    But Des isn’t just a victim of trumped-up political prosecution. He’s a beloved artist and friend who loves nothing more than experimenting with new vegan recipes, digging into new books, looking at baby opossums and sometimes fostering them, spitting out bars or writing poetry, and spending time with loved ones. As a longtime vegan dedicated to animal liberation, solidarity with nonhumans shows up in much of Desʼs artwork, including through his playful depictions of raccoons, cats, and other critters. Des extends this deep solidarity outward: heʼs a loving brother, son, and friend; he’s a free-spirited dreamer who takes good care of everyone and everything around him.

    Now stuck in a federal prison and facing potential deportation, Des is continuing to lend solidarity by, among other things, drawing pictures for other inmates to send to their families.

    Arrest date: July 6, 2025

    Federal case number: 4:25-CR-00259-P

    Interests: Animals/nature, tattooing/drawing, veganism/cooking, motorcycles

    Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, #95099-511
    FMC Fort Worth
    Federal Medical Center
    PO Box 15330
    Fort Worth, Texas 76119

    Please address your letter to Daniel, Dani, or Des.

    See more about how to send funds and contact Des at freedes.net

    See more about how to send funds and contact Des here.

  • The Feds Want to Make It Illegal to Even Possess an Anarchist Zine

    Reproduced below is a piece from a November 23, 2025 publication from The Intercept.

    Daniel Sanchez is facing federal charges for what free speech advocates say is a clear attack on the First Amendment.

    Federal prosecutors have filed a new indictment in response to a July 4 noise demonstration outside the Prairieland ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, during which a police officer was shot.

    There are numerous problems with the indictment, but perhaps the most glaring is its inclusion of charges against a Dallas artist who wasn’t even at the protest. Daniel “Des” Sanchez is accused of transporting a box that contained “Antifa materials” after the incident, supposedly to conceal evidence against his wife, Maricela Rueda, who was there.

    But the boxed materials aren’t Molotov cocktails, pipe bombs, or whatever MAGA officials claim “Antifa” uses to wage its imaginary war on America. As prosecutors laid out in the July criminal complaint that led to the indictment, they were zines and pamphlets. Some contain controversial ideas — one was titled “Insurrectionary Anarchy” — but they’re fully constitutionally protected free speech. The case demonstrates the administration’s intensifying efforts to criminalize left-wing activists after Donald Trump announced in September that he was designating “Antifa” as a “major terrorist organization” — a legal designation that doesn’t exist for domestic groups — following the killing of Charlie Kirk.

    Sanchez was first indicted in October on charges of “corruptly concealing a document or record” as a standalone case, but the new indictment merges his charges with those against the other defendants, likely in hopes of burying the First Amendment problems with the case against him under prosecutors’ claims about the alleged shooting.

    It’s an escalation of a familiar tactic. In 2023, Georgia prosecutors listed “zine” distribution as part of the conspiracy charges against 61 Stop Cop City protesters in a sprawling RICO indictment that didn’t bother to explain how each individual defendant was involved in any actual crime. I wrote back then about my concern that this wasn’t just sloppy overreach, but also a blueprint for censorship. Those fears have now been validated by Sanchez’s prosecution solely for possessing similar literature.

    Photos of the zines Daniel Sanchez is charged with “corruptly concealing.” Photo: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

    There have been other warnings that cops and prosecutors think they’ve found a constitutional loophole — if you can’t punish reporting it, punish transporting it. Los Angeles journalist Maya Lau is suing the LA County Sheriff’s Department for secretly investigating her for conspiracy, theft of government property, unlawful access of a computer, burglary, and receiving stolen property. According to her attorneys, her only offense was reporting on a list of deputies with histories of misconduct for the Los Angeles Times.

    If you can’t punish reporting it, punish transporting it.

    It’s also reminiscent of the Biden administration’s case against right-wing outlet Project Veritas for possessing and transporting Ashley Biden’s diary, which the organization bought from a Florida woman later convicted of stealing and selling it. The Constitution protects the right to publish materials stolen by others — a right that would be meaningless if they couldn’t possess the materials in the first place.

    Despite the collapses of the Cop City prosecution and the Lau investigation — and its own dismissal of the Project Veritas case — the Trump administration has followed those dangerous examples, characterizing lawful activism and ideologies as terrorist conspiracies (a strategy Trump allies also floated during this first term) to seize the power to prosecute pamphlet possession anytime they use the magic word “Antifa.”

    That’s a chilling combination for any journalist, activist, or individual who criticizes Trump. National security reporters have long dealt with the specter of prosecution under the archaic Espionage Act for merely obtaining government secrets from sources, particularly after the Biden administration extracted a guilty plea from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. But the rest of the press — and everyone else, for that matter — understood that merely possessing written materials, no matter what they said, is not a crime.

    Guilt by Literature

    At what point does a literary collection or newspaper subscription become prosecutorial evidence under the Trump administration’s logic? Essentially, whenever it’s convenient. The vagueness is a feature, not a bug. When people don’t know which political materials might later be deemed evidence of criminality, the safest course is to avoid engaging with controversial ideas altogether.

    The slippery slope from anarchist zines to conventional journalism isn’t hypothetical, and we’re already sliding fast. Journalist Mario Guevara can tell you that from El Salvador, where he was deported in a clear case of retaliation for livestreaming a No Kings protest. So can Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, as she awaits deportation proceedings for co-writing an opinion piece critical of Israel’s wars that the administration considers evidence of support for terrorism.

    At least two journalists lawfully in the U.S. — Ya’akub Ira Vijandre and Sami Hamdi — were nabbed by ICE just last month. The case against Vijandre is partially based on his criticism of prosecutorial overreach in the Holy Land Five case and his liking social media posts that quote Quranic verses, raising the question of how far away we are from someone being indicted for transporting a Quran or a news article critical of the war on terror.

    Related

    “Antifa” Protesters Charged With Terrorism for Constitutionally Protected Activity

    Sanchez’s case is prosecutorial overreach stacked on more prosecutorial overreach. The National Lawyers Guild criticized prosecutors’ tenuous dot-connecting to justify holding 18 defendants responsible for one gunshot wound. Some defendants were also charged with supporting terrorism due to their alleged association with “Antifa.” Anarchist zines were cited as evidence against them, too.

    Sanchez was charged following a search that ICE proclaimed on social media turned up “literal insurrectionist propaganda” he had allegedly transported from his home to an apartment, noting that “insurrectionary anarchism is regarded as the most serious form of domestic (non-jihadi) terrorist threat.” The tweet also said that Sanchez is a green card holder granted legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

    The indictment claims Sanchez was transporting those materials to conceal them because they incriminated his wife. But how can possession of literature incriminate anyone, let alone someone who isn’t even accused of anything but being present when someone else allegedly fired a gun? Zines aren’t contraband; it’s not illegal to be an anarchist or read about anarchism. I don’t know why Sanchez allegedly moved the box of documents, but if it was because he (apparently correctly) feared prosecutors would try to use them against his wife, that’s a commentary on prosecutors’ lawlessness, not Sanchez’s.

    Violent rhetoric is subject to punishment only when it constitutes a “true threat” of imminent violence. Even then, the speaker is held responsible, not anyone merely in possession of their words.

    Government prosecutors haven’t alleged the “Antifa materials” contained any “true threats,” or any other category of speech that falls outside the protection of the First Amendment. Nor did they allege that the materials were used to plan the alleged actions of protesters on July 4 (although they did allege that the materials were “anti-government” and “anti-Trump”).

    We don’t need a constitutional right to publish (or possess) only what the government likes.

    Even the aforementioned “Insurrectionary Anarchy: Organizing for Attack” zine, despite its hyperbolic title, reads like a think piece, not a how-to manual. It advocates for tactics like rent strikes and squatting, not shooting police officers. Critically, it has nothing to do with whether Sanchez’s wife committed crimes on July 4.

    Being guilty of possessing literature is a concept fundamentally incompatible with a free society. We don’t need a constitutional right to publish (or possess) only what the government likes, and the “anti-government” literature in Sanchez’s box of zines is exactly what the First Amendment protects. With history and leaders like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán as a guide, we also know it’s highly unlikely that Trump’s censorship crusade will stop with a few radical pamphlets.

    The Framers Loved Zines

    There’s an irony in a supposedly conservative administration treating anti-government pamphlets as evidence of criminality. Many of the publications the Constitution’s framers had in mind when they authored the First Amendment’s press freedom clause bore far more resemblance to Sanchez’s box of zines than to the output of today’s mainstream news media.

    Revolutionary-era America was awash in highly opinionated, politically radical literature. Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” was designed to inspire revolution against the established government. Newspapers like the Boston Gazette printed inflammatory writings by Samuel Adams and others urging the colonies to prepare for war after the Coercive Acts. The Declaration of Independence itself recognized the right of the people to rise up. It did not assume the revolution of the time would be the last one.

    One might call it “literal insurrectionist propaganda” — and some of it was probably transported in boxes.

    The framers enshrined press freedom not because they imagined today’s professionally trained journalists maintaining careful neutrality. They protected it because they understood firsthand the need for journalists and writers who believed their government had become tyrannical to espouse revolution.

    For all their many faults, the framers were confident enough in their ideas that they were willing to let them be tested. If the government’s conduct didn’t call for radical opposition, then radical ideas wouldn’t catch on. It sure looks like the current administration doesn’t want to make that bet.

  • November 17 Update on Prairieland Case

    This week, defendants Autumn Hill, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Meagan Morris, Ines Soto, Liz Soto, Savanna Batten, Maricela Rueda, and Daniel Sanchez Estrada were federally indicted together on the same case. These defendants, except for Sanchez Estrada, were indicted on a range of charges including riot, material support of terrorism, use of explosive, attempted murder, and discharge of a deadly weapon. Sanchez Estrada was indicted on corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal a document. Defendants Joy Gibson, Nathan Baumann, Lynette Sharp, Susan Kent, and Rebecca Morgan were charged with a single count of material support of terrorism. These defendants have signed plea deals and will formally enter a guilty plea on Wednesday, November 19 and Monday, November 24. The trial date for the federal case against Evetts, Hill, and others will likely be set in by the end of the month, and we expect the date to be in late December 2025 or early January 2026.

    On the state case, Janette Goering had a writ of habeas corpus hearing on a reduction to her $5 million bond. She was denied the bond reduction with no explanation. Susan Kent pled not guilty to state charges and has a state jury trial set for March 2026. Dario Sanchez‘s state jury trial is still set for January 2026.

  • Twelve More People Federally Charged in the July 4 Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    November 17, 2025

    CONTACT: DFW Support Committee

    dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com

    dfwdefendants.wordpress.com

    Twelve More People Federally Charged in the July 4 Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case

    Majority of Defendants Expected to Enter ‘Not Guilty’  Pleas December 3, Refusing Early Plea Offer of Up To 15 Years in Prison

    DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Twelve people were federally charged late last week in connection with the immigrant solidarity demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025. The new indictment and charges, including rioting, attempted murder, and material support for terrorism, came as a majority of defendants are expected to plead not guilty on December 3. Notably, federal prosecutors are offering early plea deals with recommended sentences of up to 15 years in prison.

    A number of defendants could plead guilty in the coming days as a result of pressure by the federal government. The terms of the plea agreements have not been made public, but some defendants are refusing to cooperate against their codefendants. Historically, in politically motivated cases, defendants who take federal plea deals that involve cooperating with the government against their codefendants have not necessarily received more lenient sentences, and may not lessen the potential legal harm stemming from their corresponding State cases.

    “The prosecution is grasping at straws,” said National Lawyers Guild member Kris Hermes. “Plea deals offered this early show the government is desperate for a quick conviction that fits their nonsense ‘Antifa’ narrative. This case is a shoddy attempt to terrorize the movement in solidarity with immigrants, but it’s not going to work.”

    The defendants who were federally charged last week were added to the case of Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts, who were federally indicted last month. US District Court Judge Mark Pittman granted the government’s motion earlier in November to designate the Prairieland case as “complex”, thereby delaying the trials of Hill and Evetts, which were scheduled to start later this month. Another defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was previously indicted separately and has now been added to this case, and his trial has been delayed from early December, as originally scheduled. It’s now unclear when Hill, Evetts, Sanchez-Estrada, and the other defendants will go to trial.

    The Prairieland case has been hailed by the Trump administration as the first legal case against Antifa.  FBI director Kash Patel called the defendants “Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists,” sharing Fox News coverage of the case on X. On September 25, the White House released the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7), which ordered all federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize combating “Antifa” as a domestic terrorism threat.

    The latest indictments come just weeks after criminal charges were filed against Johnson County Sheriff Adam King, whose office is working with the federal government to prosecute the Prairieland defendants. Supporters of the defendants call into question the credibility and integrity of King and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. “I’m just worried about the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office respecting defendants’ rights and following the law,” said Irina Popova, a member of the DFW Support Committee. King is facing four felony charges, including aggravated perjury, corrupt influence, and abuse of official capacity, casting doubt about the veracity of the Prairieland case.

    The new charges have been devastating for not only the defendants but also their families and loved ones. “It was really heartbreaking to see my sister is facing eleven of the twelve total charges. We all want her to come home,” said Diana Rueda-Muñoz, sister of Maricela Rueda. “But she’s strong, and we stand with her as she fights these outrageous charges.”

    In addition to the federal charges, a total of fifteen defendants were also indicted last month on state charges, including aggravated assault, engaging in organized criminal activity, and hindering the prosecution of terrorism. The concurrent state and federal charges are forcing some defendants to defend themselves in two separate but related cases, with testimony and evidence from one potentially impacting and prejudicing the other.

    The various cases stem from a noise demonstration in solidarity with ICE detainees at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025. Toward the end of the demonstration, an officer with the Alvarado Police Department arrived and allegedly quickly became involved in an exchange of gunfire with someone else on the scene. The officer sustained minor injuries, and was released from the hospital shortly afterwards. Ten people were arrested at the scene or shortly after, and a manhunt ensued in the subsequent days for another defendant. Eight more defendants were arrested in the days and weeks following the protest.

    # # #

    Relevant Federal Case Numbers

    4:25-mj-00451-BJ (Sanchez-Estrada)
    4:25-mj-00452-BJ (Initial 10 arrested)
    4:25-mj-00468-BJ (Song)
    4:25-mj-00479-BP (Sharp and Thomas)
    4:25-mj-00495-BJ (Morgan)
    4:25-cr-259-P (Hill, Evetts et al.)
    4:25-cr-00272-O (Sikes)
    4:25-cr-00282-P (Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas)

  • Interview with Solidarity Activist Supporting Prairieland Anti-ICE Political Prisoners

    Reproduced below is a piece from a November 17, 2025 publication from The Worker.

    The Worker conducted an interview with a supporter of the Dallas/Fort Worth Support Committee (unaffiliated with The Worker), which has been organizing in defense of the anti-ICE activists in connection with a protest outside the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Alvarado, Texas. The demonstrators face trumped up domestic terrorism charges, with the case serving as a testing grounds for the Trump administration’s new “Antifa” executive order targeting anti-imperialist activism with terrorism charges. The interview has been edited for publication.

    1. Tell us about the latest arrests in connection to the Prairieland case and the “Antifa” charges. What is the significance of these charges?

    The Prairieland Case has become a sprawling and dangerous example of the new face of repression. The case stems from a noise demonstration on July 4th outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Center, which is in a small town south of Fort Worth. At that demo there was allegedly an exchange of gunfire between a police officer and one person at the scene in which the officer was injured. Now 18 people are facing life-altering charges and the highest levels of the Trump administration are using this case as an example of “ANTIFA” terrorism. Importantly, the federal case began moving three months after the arrests immediately following the now infamous NPSM-7 declaration.

    2. What do you know about the conditions and treatment of the prisoners?

    It’s clear that the state is attempting to break defendants’ will to fight by putting them through grueling pre-trial detention. For the first three months while in Johnson County Detention Center (the jail for the county where the arrests occurred), defendants were held in isolation, denied adequate medical care, subject to invasive strip searches at all hours (including at 2am), and held in unsanitary conditions. One defendant was even put in a cell with feces smeared on the wall, given cleaning supplies and told to clean it up.

    Since October, defendants have been taken into federal custody and many of them were moved, including to a jail over two hours away, making visits from family extremely difficult. Defendants have little chance of being released before trial because of exorbitant bonds, most $10 million and some as high as $15 million. Some defendants have petitioned for these to be reduced, but for one who succeeded at this it was only reduced to $1.5 million.

    3. Why is this case so important to support, particularly in relation to free speech, association, and assembly?

    The state is only claiming one person fired a weapon, but have created an elaborate narrative of an underground terroristic “cell” of “ANTIFA” planning an ambush. They have presented no direct evidence of this claim and instead are presenting political speech and beliefs as evidence. As a result, things like some defendants running a print shop to print radical literature, or private signal messages discussing the limitations of protest marshals are being presented in open court as evidence of criminality. We should assume this approach is not isolated to this case, but will be extended and patterned across the country as more people take brave acts to defy ICE and Trump.

    4. There seems to be a conspicuous absence of broad support for the Prairieland defendants from certain groups, why do you think this is? What would you say to people who are squeamish about denouncing the repression against the defendants due to accusations of violence?

    I think the underlying reason is fear. As the stakes and intensity of state repression have increased, people have to make choices, and many so far have decided to try and avoid being caught in the cross hairs. This case in particular has been controversial because it does appear likely that a police officer was injured by gunfire (though he only spent a few hours in the hospital and is reportedly now back at work), and a number firearms were found in searches of people’s cars and homes (which is protected by the Second Amendment). Moreover, given that all the defendants that were allegedly present on July 4th are still in custody it has been extremely difficult to get compelling counter-narratives of the events out publicly.

    However, there has been a shift in the mood of sympathy in the last few months as popular resistance has grown and the mendacious and unreliable nature of the Trump DOJ has become mainstream knowledge. We have seen more skepticism of the official narrative and more understanding of this case as a key precedent for anti-ICE protesting and other forms of dissent. This new momentum would not have been possible without the staunch support from organizations like the National Lawyers Guild, which has been championing our cause from early on.

    5. What can people do to support the Prairieland prisoners?

    There are a number of ways folks can support the defendants. At this point we still have a big need for fundraising to help pay for lawyers. The State of Texas seems intent on continuing to prosecute the cases even though the federal case is moving forward. That means we need two sets of lawyers for most of the defendants. Private attorneys have ranged from $50,000 to $100,000. Not to mention the ongoing needs of defendants’ loved ones to help pay mortgages, car payments, and support children so that the defendants have lives to come home to. We have an online fundraiser and we encourage everyone who’s able to contribute: https://www.givesendgo.com/supportdfwprotestors/

    The second way folks can help is by writing to the defendants. This will be a long fight and we need to do everything we can to help give folks the strength they’ll need to win. Hearing from supporters far and wide is a huge help with that. Since these folks are pre-trial and the case is extremely political we ask people to be careful with what they write, but talking about all the beautiful things in the world goes a long way. To find out how to write the defendants and hear more about each of them please see our website: https://dfwdefendants.wordpress.com/

    Finally, we ask people just to help get the word out. So far, this case has not gotten the level of attention we think it deserves. Talking to people about how unbelievable the official narrative is and how the government is going after people for their political beliefs will help not only grow support for the defendants but also deepen the resistance to the authoritarian turn in American politics.

    We must use organizing against state repression as a way to grow and strengthen the broader movement. That applies to this case as much as any other. We encourage people to use this support to build solidarity and spread the spirit of resistance. Hold a letter writing, put on a benefit concert, or make stickers and post them up around town. The defendants in this case are believers in freedom and resistance to ICE’s kidnappings off the street. We must use every opportunity we can to honor that cause and build a movement for the kind of world we want to live in!

    Photo: “Ice Pig” painted on the side of a vehicle at the Prairieland Detention Center as part of the anti-ICE demonstration.

  • From “In Contempt”: November updates on the Prairieland case

    Reproduced below is a section from the November 8, 2025 publication of In Contempt, which is a monthly report on prison rebels, State repression, and news from an abolitionist perspective.

    Image: DFW Support Committee, One Action from the October 3: International Day of Solidarity with the Prairieland Defendants

    In an early morning raid on October 21, federal agents arrested another person in connection with a July 4 protest at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center.

    In a press release, the DFW Support Committee writes:

    Goering’s arrest continues a trend of escalation by police and prosecutors in a case that now involves 18 defendants. The government is using exorbitant bonds of up to $15 million to imprison all but one of the defendants. “It’s unbelievable that more than three months later the state is still trying to widen the net in this case,” said a spokesperson for the DFW Support Committee, a group of family and loved ones of defendants. “They’re attempting to prosecute this as an “Antifa” case in order to terrorize the movement in solidarity with immigrants, but it’s not going to work.”

    Additionally, two of the defendants have now been federally charged with “providing material support to terrorists.” The Support Committee continues,

    The case has been hailed by the Trump administration as the first legal case against “Antifa.” On October 15, federal charges were formally brought against two of the Prairieland defendants, Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts; the charges include 1 count of providing material support to terrorists, 3 counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the United States, and 3 counts of discharging a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence. FBI director Kash Patel called the defendants “Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists,” sharing Fox News coverage of the indictments on X. “This seems like a coordinated political campaign,” said Stephanie Shiver, wife of defendant Meagan Morris. “The feds didn’t do anything for months and then they bring everyone into court just days after Trump designated ‘Antifa’ a priority threat.” On September 25, the White House released the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7), which ordered all federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize combating “Antifa” as a domestic terrorism threat.

    A regularly-updated zine featuring letter writing information is available to print & share.

    The fundraiser for Prairieland Defendants is ongoing: https://www.givesendgo.com/supportDFWprotestors

    As far as we know, the following are updated Prairieland Defendants, but always check with the DFW Support Committee before writing:

    Bradford Winston Morris* 11136-512
    (address letter to Meagan Morris)
    Benjamin Hanil Song 11137-512
    Cameron Arnold* 11138-512
    (address letter to Autumn Hill)
    Zachary Evetts 11141-512
    Ines Houston Soto 11144-512

    Prisoner Name & Number
    FMC Fort Worth
    Federal Medical Center
    P.O. Box 15330
    Fort Worth, TX 76119

    Lynette Sharp 202502085
    Seth Edison Sikes 202502010
    Janette Marie Goering 202503019

    Johnson County Jail, TX
    Prisoner Name & Number
    P.O. Box 247
    Phoenix, MD 21131

    Elizabeth Soto 100005
    Savanna Batten 100006
    Rebecca Morgan 100008
    Joy Gibson 100009
    Maricela Rueda 10010

    Wichita County Detention Center, TX
    Prisoner Name & Number
    P.O. Box 247
    Phoenix, MD 21131

    Image: Another Action from the October 3: International Day of Solidarity with the Prairieland Defendants
    Screwston AFC Prairieland Defendants Fundraiser, “Coyotes Against Borders

    Help Maricela’s Family as She Fights for Justice!

    From the fundraiser:

    Maricela is a loving mother, a daughter, a sister, and a loyal friend. Her arrest has left her family facing sudden and overwhelming challenges. Maricela’s young daughter is now without her mother’s daily love and care, and her family must also manage her estate and responsibilities while navigating the uncertainty ahead. We are asking for your support to help ease the financial strain during this heartbreaking time. All funds will go directly toward caring for her daughter and managing the urgent needs of her household. Thank you for standing in solidarity with Maricela and those who love her.

    Maricela has been sharing poetry from detention:

    Image: Poem by Maricela Rueda

    Free Des! Zines Are Not a Crime!

    Its Going Down recently published a call to support Des

    Des Revol—a tattoo artist, PoC anarchist, immigrant, and all-around sweetheart—is currently facing serious charges related to a larger case of political repression in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. But Des isn’t just a victim of trumped-up political prosecution, he’s a beloved artist and friend who loves nothing more than experimenting with new vegan recipes, digging into new books, looking at baby opossums and sometimes fostering them, and spending time with loved ones. As a longtime vegan dedicated to animal liberation, solidarity with nonhumans shows up in much of Desʼs artwork, including through his playful depictions of raccoons, cats, and other critters. Des extends this deep solidarity outward: heʼs a loving brother, son, and friend; he’s a free-spirited dreamer who takes good care of everyone and everything around him. Now stuck in a federal prison, Des is continuing to lend solidarity by drawing pictures for other inmates to send to their families.

    Print & share the zine “Zines Are Not a Crime: Free Des Revol”

    Button sheets are also available to print.

    Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada
    #95099-511
    FMC Fort Worth
    Federal Medical Center
    PO Box 15330
    Fort Worth, Texas 76119