Month: December 2025

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. There have been minor factual corrections to the number of defendants who pled guilty.

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, 7 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

Reproduced below is a piece from a December 4, 2025 publication from The Intercept. It has been minorly edited for a typographical error.

Daniel Sanchez Estrada, who was arrested for transporting anarchist zines after an ICE protest, turned himself in to the feds.

For five months, Daniel Sanchez Estrada was the prisoner of a government that has branded him an “Antifa Cell operative.” He was accused of moving a box of anarchist zines from one suburb of Dallas to another after a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On the day before Thanksgiving, he was released without warning or explanation. He walked out to a jail parking lot relishing the fresh air — and watching over his shoulder.

During the week that followed, Sanchez Estrada savored his time with family members and worried that his release might have been an accident. Apparently, he was right.

“I just have to go through this process. It’s necessary to show that I’m not the person they say I am.”

On Thursday, Sanchez Estrada turned himself in to await a trial that could be months away.

It was another swerve in the case of a man who has been demonized by the federal government for actions he took after a protest against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Civil liberties advocates have decried the case against him as “guilt by literature.” (The U.S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas declined to comment and the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request.)

In a Wednesday night interview during his final hours of freedom, Sanchez Estrada said the decision to voluntarily surrender himself was gut-wrenching.

“As scary as it is, I’m innocent,” he said. “I just have to go through this process. It’s necessary to show that I’m not the person they say I am. I’m not fleeing. I’m not hiding. Because I’m innocent. I haven’t done anything.”

Sanchez Estrada spoke to The Intercept outside an ice cream shop in an upscale shopping mall in Fort Worth, Texas. He was set to turn himself back into jail 16 hours after the interview — but before that, he was treating his 12-year-old stepdaughter to sweets during his first meeting with her as a free man since his arrest in July.

Prairieland Protest

Prosecutors allege that Sanchez Estrada’s wife, Maricela Rueda, attended a chaotic protest outside ICE’s Prairieland Detention Center on July 4 that ended with a police officer wounded by gunfire. A separate defendant is the sole person accused of firing a gun at the officer.

The gathering outside the Alvarado, Texas, detention center happened in the context of huge rise in the number of immigrants detained under Trump, from 39,000 in January to 65,000 in November, which has been accompanied by reports of dire conditions inside.

Supporters of the Prairieland defendants say the protesters hoped to cause a ruckus with fireworks in a show of solidarity. The government has accused members of what it dubs the “North Texas antifa cell” of rioting and attempted murder.

No one claims that Sanchez Estrada was present at the protest. Instead, he is accused of moving anarchist zines from his parents’ house to another residence near Dallas on July 6 after Rueda called him from jail. Sanchez Estrada was arrested when the move was spotted by an FBI surveillance team, according to the government.

“My charge is allegedly having a box containing magazine ‘zines,’ books, and artwork.”

Prosecutors said the zines contained “anti-law enforcement, anti-government and anti-Trump sentiments.” In a statement made outside of his interview, Sanchez Estrada said that possession of such items is clearly protected by the First Amendment.

“My charge is allegedly having a box containing magazine ‘zines,’ books, and artwork,” Sanchez Estrada said. “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.”

Civil liberties groups such as the Freedom of the Press Foundation have denounced his case as “guilt by literature.” They warn that his could be the first of many such prosecutions in the wake of a presidential memo from Trump targeting “antifa” and other forms of “anti-Americanism.”

The purported “North Texas antifa cell” has been cited by FBI Director Kash Patel and others as a prime example of a supposed surge in the number of attacks on ICE officers — although a recent Los Angeles Times analysis found that unlike the incident in Texas, most of those alleged attacks resulted in no injury.

Sanchez Estrada faces up to 20 years on counts of corruptly concealing a document or record and conspiracy to conceal documents. The stakes are higher for him than other defendants because he is a green card holder, which ICE spotlighted in a social media post that included his picture and immigration history. Read our complete coverage Chilling Dissent

“I Did Not Participate”

Sanchez Estrada also worries about the fate of his wife, who faces life imprisonment if convicted. She pleaded not guilty in an arraignment Wednesday. The case is currently set for trial on January 20.

“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,” Sanchez Estrada said in his statement. “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.”

Sanchez Estrada said that he spent his months in jail anguishing over how his stepdaughter would be affected and how his parents, for whom he is the primary supporter, would make ends meet.

A nature lover who peppers his speech with references to “the creator,” for Sanchez Estrada one of the toughest things about being in jail was not being able to breathe fresh air or watch the sun set.

He said he was immediately suspicious when jail officers told him that he was being released.

“I thought they would be waiting in the parking lot to arrest me.”

“You normally would assume the worst when you’re in there. I just did not believe them. I thought they would be waiting in the parking lot to arrest me,” he said.

Soon, however, Sanchez Estrada was eating vegan tacos and spending time with friends and family.

“It is something just beautiful to see — everyone rooting for you,” he said.

He fears what could happen when he returns to custody. Still, he will have a reminder of his brief return to life on the outside: freshly inked tattoos of a raccoon and an opossum.

“They’ve been here even before people,” he said. “They’re wild animals, and they’re beautiful.”

Update: December 4, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET
This story has been updated to reflect that, after publication, the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas declined to comment.