DFW Support Committee

  • Another Person Arrested in Connection to Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest on July 4

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13, 2025

    CONTACT: DFW Support Committee

    EMAIL: dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com

    Another Person Arrested in Connection to Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest on July 4, Bringing Total Number of Arrests to 17, Prompting a Public Statement from Supporters

    People Are Being Held on Bonds of Up to $15 Million, But Most People Currently in Custody Have No Formal Charges and No Legal Representation More Than a Month After the Incident

    DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Another person was arrested last week in connection with the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center protest on July 4, 2025, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to 17. Susan Kent was arrested by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on August 7 and is currently being held on a $10 million bond at Johnson County Jail. Sixteen people arrested in connection to the Prairieland protest are being held at Johnson County Jail on bonds of up to $15 million. One defendant is being held separately at Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth. Kent is being accused of engaging in organized criminal activity and hindering the prosecution of terrorism, but the state has released no information regarding the arrest and the probable cause documents have not been made public.

    Most people currently in custody have no formal charges and have no legal representation more than a month after the incident. No progress has occurred in any of the cases, and no hearings or legal proceedings are currently scheduled.

    The July 4 demonstrations outside of the ICE Detention Center were a typical immigrant solidarity protest that has since turned into a massive federal investigation. During the planned “noise” demonstration at the facility, ICE agents called the local police. When an officer from the Alvarado Police Department arrived, an altercation occurred, after which the officer claimed to have sustained a minor injury. Police arrested 10 people near the scene, including some blocks away, on the basis that they were dressed alike, and seven more were arrested in subsequent weeks. During that time, local and federal agents have terrorized friends and family members of those arrested at the protest, serving no-knock warrants, conducting house raids, making arrests at traffic stops, and engaging in widespread surveillance. Multiple people arrested were not even at the protest.

    The DFW support committee, a group of family and friends of defendants in this case, released a statement today, repudiating the arrest of Kent, one of its members, and connecting it to a wider pattern of state repression against anti-ICE protestors.

    “We denounce this escalation by the state in its desperate attempts to criminalize people showing solidarity with those being kidnapped by ICE, and to undermine dissent against rising authoritarianism,” says the statement. It goes on to say, “We are devastated at Susan’s arrest, but we are not deterred. We call on those who support resistance and seek a freer world to stand up against this brutality and repression.”

    To read the entire statement released today by the DFW Support Committee, go to: https://www.dfwdefendants.wordpress.com/2025/08/13/public-statement-august-13-2025/

    The expansion of this case was also alarming to experts on political repression. Meagan Knuth from the National Lawyers Guild said, “We’re seeing a rise in these sorts of cases against protestors from North Texas, to Spokane, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, but as we’ve seen in Los Angeles, once these cases go to court, they have been dropped for lack of evidence.”

    Members of the support committee also expressed concern for Kent’s well-being while in custody in Johnson County Jail. “We’ve seen horrific treatment of the defendants while they’ve been in custody,” said Stephanie Shiver, defendant Meagan Morris’s wife. “People have been kept in forced isolation, subject to incessant, degrading strip searches, even for those who haven’t left their cells in days, barred from communicating with family or attorneys,” continued Shiver. “Someone was even forced to clean another inmate’s feces off the walls of their cell.”

    The statement goes on to connect the continued arrest of protestors in North Texas to the pattern of family separation seen in the national wave of detentions by ICE saying, “The Prairieland defendants are not terrorists. The real terrorists are the ICE agents kidnapping people off the street, destroying families and communities.”

    Statement from the DFW Support Committee:

    We are aggrieved to report that the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested another member of the Dallas-Fort Worth community in relation to the July 4th Prairieland ICE Detention Center protest, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to seventeen. This person, Susan Kent, was also a member of the DFW Support Committee, the defense committee for the Prairieland Defendants. Like the rest of the defendants, their bond amount is set to an absurd and prohibitive $10 million. We denounce this escalation by the state in its desperate attempts to criminalize people showing solidarity with those being kidnapped by ICE and to undermine dissent against rising authoritarianism.

    From the beginning, this case has been rife with inconsistencies, unbelievable accusations, and violence against the defendants and their loved ones. We do not know the state’s allegations against Susan, but we believe this arrest is part of the state’s attempt to terrorize the residents of Dallas-Fort Worth. To arrest someone well over a month after the July 4th event signals the state’s dogged attempt to tear through this community. Susan was actively working to support the defendants, to advocate for them to get the best legal defense possible and encourage them to exercise their constitutional rights. Forcing this person to endure the same horrific conditions as the defendants they were working to support fits the state’s tactics of repression in this case: brutalizing defendants’ family members, conducting violent raids, subjecting defendants to solitary confinement, incessantly strip searching defendants, and other cruelty, such as forcing a defendant to clean feces off the walls of their cell. This case is emblematic of the outrageous arrests happening around the country, including in Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, as well as the unnecessary federalization of police in Washington DC, all while legal cases against protestors in Los Angeles are falling apart due to lack of evidence. These actions by the state are not meant to seek justice or truth. They instead intend to terrify us and fracture solidarity among our movements. But we won’t let them succeed.

    Our friends and loved ones sought to show support for immigrants and ICE detainees facing brutal violence at the hands of the state. The Prairieland defendants are not terrorists. The real terrorists are the ICE agents kidnapping people off the street, destroying families and communities. We are devastated at Susan’s arrest, but we are not deterred. We call on those who support resistance and seek a freer world to stand up against this brutality and repression. For more information about the Prairieland defendants and how you can help raise funds for their defense, please go to dfwdefendants.wordpress.com or donate to the crowd fundraiser at givesendgo.com/supportDFWprotestors.

  • Public Statement – August 13, 2025

    We are aggrieved to report that the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested another member of the Dallas-Fort Worth community in relation to the July 4th Prairieland ICE Detention Center protest, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to seventeen. This person, Susan Kent, was also a member of the DFW Support Committee, the defense committee for the Prairieland Defendants. Like the rest of the defendants, their bond amount is set to an absurd and prohibitive $10 million dollars. We denounce this escalation by the state in its desperate attempts to criminalize people showing solidarity with those being kidnapped by ICE and to undermine dissent against rising authoritarianism.

    From the beginning, this case has been rife with inconsistencies, unbelievable accusations, and violence against the defendants and their loved ones. We do not know the state’s allegations against Susan, but we believe this arrest is part of the state’s attempt to terrorize the residents of Dallas-Fort Worth. To arrest someone well over a month after the July 4th event signals the state’s dogged attempt to tear through this community. Susan was actively working to support the defendants, to advocate for them to get the best legal defense possible and encourage them to exercise their constitutional rights. Forcing this person to endure the same horrific conditions as the defendants they were working to support fits the state’s tactics of repression in this case: brutalizing defendants’ family members, conducting violent raids, subjecting defendants to solitary confinement, incessantly strip searching defendants, and other cruelty, such as forcing a defendant to clean feces off the walls of their cell. This case is emblematic of the outrageous arrests happening around the country, including in Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, as well as the unnecessary federalization of police in Washington DC, all while legal cases against protestors in Los Angeles are falling apart due to lack of evidence. These actions by the state are not meant to seek justice or truth. They instead intend to terrify us and fracture solidarity among our movements. But we won’t let them succeed.

    Our friends and loved ones sought to show support for immigrants and ICE detainees facing brutal violence at the hands of the state. The Prairieland defendants are not terrorists. The real terrorists are the ICE agents kidnapping people off the street, destroying families and communities. We are devastated at Susan’s arrest, but we are not deterred. We call on all those who support resistance and seek a freer world to stand up against this brutality and repression. For more information about the Prairieland defendants and how you can help raise funds for their defense, please go to dfwdefendants.wordpress.com or donate to the crowd fundraiser at givesendgo.com/supportDFWprotestors.

  • Poem by Maricela Rueda

    5:22 PM 7/31/2025

    I want to write hopeful things
    I want to make believe
    A wish came and tickled my nose as I bathed
    In Sunshine, in the form of a single dandelion seed.
    I found a baby bird feather that I treasure,
    like memories of tasting what it means to be free.
    I watch the spiders in the windows
    as they too, weave.
    I daydream and make believe because it’s
    One of the few things they cannot thieve.
    I grieve because I have loved and somewhere
    out there my community loves me, I must believe.
    I breathe and wait for a release for all my
    siblings taken because as surely as my heart beats –
    this invisible hope is the closest thing to an
    embrace that keeps me from losing faith.
    This medicine, this salve that saves me from heartbreak.
    A bravery they cannot replicate
    carried in my blood that no amount of their hate
    will ever, ever eradicate.
    A song, a memory, a manifestation
    sun, moon, stars, and wind every time that I blink,
    in this windowless room, behind a full metal door, locked with key.
    When they seem to have taken everything, still – I think –
    and somehow it nourishes just to play make believe.
    While I wait for me and my friends to be free.
    🖤Marrriii

  • Support Committee Denounces Abuse of Prairieland Defendants

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      July 14th, 2025
     
    Contact: DFW Support Committee
    email: dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com

    Support Committee Denounces Abuse of Prairieland Defendants

    Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas — A week after the arrest of 10 protestors at a demonstration at Prairieland ICE Detention Center and the subsequent arrest of the spouse of an arrestee, Johnson County Jail is obstructing the defendants’ access to legal representation and retaliating against them for exercising their 5th and 6th amendment rights pursuant to the U.S. Constitution. These constitutional violations have occurred in conjunction with a far-reaching investigation that has included numerous instances of excessive force and intimidation by various police agencies, friends and family of the defendants reveal.

    A majority of defendants remain without legal counsel in violation of the 6th amendment. At least three defendants have been denied their requests for a public defender on the grounds of alleged “incomplete paperwork.” The DFW Support Committee, a group of family and friends of the defendants, said that, “this delay or denial of the right to counsel appears to be in retaliation to the defendants’ lawful right to refuse to speak to law enforcement without their lawyer present and is an egregious violation of their constitutional rights.”

    In response to one of the defendants exercising their constitutional rights, Johnson County Jail has transferred this person to a solitary medical unit, despite the fact this person has no medical issues or needs. “I am completely appalled at the way their constitutional rights have been ignored,” this defendants mother said, “I grow increasingly concerned for their safety and well-being with each passing day.”
    Johnson County’s use of segregation and isolation of pretrial detainees — presumed innocent until or unless convicted at trial — amounts to torture and excessive force used to punish and coerce these defendants in contravention of federal and state law.

    Johnson County Jail has also refused to house transgender defendants in the housing unit appropriate for their gender raising serious safety and welfare concerns. To avoid further harassment from jail staff and other prisoners, one defendant has been forced to remain in solitary confinement, citing safety concerns in the general population.

    Defendants’ friends and family report raids of their homes where agents deployed flashbang grenades, caused extensive damage, and detained spouses, family members and housemates without cause. In one instance, federal agents tackled the adult child of a defendant and put a bag over their head before arresting them and transporting them to jail. “I was terrified, I had no idea what was going on,” the child later said. During this interrogation, agents offered this person monetary bribes in exchange for information, which of course were refused. Police also attempted to extort them by offering to “get rid of a warrant” if they cooperated with the law enforcement investigation.

    Johnson County Jail has also harassed and intimidated those wishing to visit defendants while in pre-trial detention. Some defendants’ visitors have been denied entry, detained and interrogated, and had their personal electronics confiscated.

    Legal experts consulted by the support committee believe that these tactics constitute a campaign of fear and harassment against the defendants and their loved ones, and calls into question the veracity of any statements that law enforcement has compelled under these conditions of confinement, particularly when the defendants have no access to legal representation as the law requires. The state has violated the constitutional guarantees against unreasonable search and seizure and cruel and unusual punishment which will negatively taint any further state prosecutions.

    These violations have occurred while the legal proceedings have not progressed on either the state or federal charges. Local legal experts explained that normally in this district, a defendant facing federal charges will receive a first court appearance within one to three days, whereupon appointment of court appointed counsel, release or bail conditions, and next court dates are all addressed.  There has been no explanation why these normal practices are not being followed regarding these defendants.

    The Prairieland defendants were arrested following a demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4th. They are facing state level criminal charges for terrorism and aggravated assault, and federal charges for attempted murder, among other charges.

    Anyone wishing to contribute to the defendants’ legal costs can do so here: https://www.givesendgo.com/supportdfwprotestors

  • Prairieland Defendants Support Group Releases Statement and Begins Fundraiser

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      July 10th, 2025

    Contact: DFW Support Committee
    email: dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com

    Prairieland Defendants Support Group Releases Statement and Begins Fundraiser

    Dallas-Fort Worth, TX — Today, members of the DFW Support Committee, a group  supporting the 11 Prairieland Detention Center arrestees, released a public statement and legal support fundraiser. On July 4th, a group of people protested against the kidnappings and renditions of ICE at the Prairieland Detention Center. By the next day, 10 people were arrested and their loved ones and friends were scrambling to locate them and find out what had happened to them. On July 6th, the spouse of one of the defendants was arrested by the FBI and later charged with obstruction of justice. The police’s story did not make sense to the arrestees’ loved ones and friends, so they began organizing to free the arrestees. Recognizing a need to raise funds to support the defendants and to address the political context in which this is occurring, the DFW Support Committee is releasing a statement and starting a fundraiser for defendants.

    The committee’s statement has been released after the arrestees were subsequently charged by the US Department of Justice in a charging document that frames the protest as a violent ambush. Additionally, the spouse of one of the initial defendants was detained by the FBI. The statement categorically rejects this narrative and suggests instead that, “The glaring inconsistencies in the official narrative and the alarmist accusations are a clear attempt to bolster the Trump administration’s claims that the United States is on the verge of chaos, warranting a dramatic increase in militarized police action.”

    In addition to the statement, the committee has launched a fundraiser for the defendants. This fundraiser’s description states that it is intended to “raise legal fees and living expenses for all those facing repression connected to the protest at the Prairieland Detention Center.” At the time of release, over $11,000 has been raised.

    The government’s accusations revolve around an injury claimed to have been sustained by a police officer on the evening of July 4th. It is alleged that a number of people at the demonstration opened fire on at least one police officer, while one officer is claimed to have been struck in the neck. This injured officer was released from the hospital within hours. The North Texas US District Attorney’s office has rushed to make these accusations yet has not met even its basic obligations around ensuring defendants’ rights to legal representation, to understand the charges against them, or to even have contact with their loved ones.
    The statement is below.

    Statement from the DFW Support Committee on the Prairieland Defendants

    Texans are facing increasing repression by both the federal and state governments. Those on the frontlines of protecting people targeted by the state are especially being met with this repression in spite of our constitutional right to protest and dissent. Instead of listening to us, the government is arresting protestors, creating false narratives about their actions, and wholly ignoring their own obligation to due process.

    Acknowledging this, we have formed a committee of loved ones, friends and comrades of defendants who are committed to supporting them through the legal process and have experience with legal support and anti-repression organizing.

    We do not know what happened at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4th, but we do know that 11 people were arrested and still sit in jail without legal representation. The framing of the case by the federal government should be concerning to all of us. The glaring inconsistencies in the official narrative and the alarmist accusations are a clear attempt to bolster the Trump administration’s claims that the United States is on the verge of chaos, warranting a dramatic increase in militarized police action. This, in turn, will almost certainly be used as a justification for broader expansion of repression not only of popular movements but all political activity in opposition to Trump and his regime. As such, what is happening to the 11 people connected to the Prairieland Detention Center protest should be a concern for anyone who does not want to see this country descend further into authoritarianism.

    The Trump administration has consistently shown that it lies and distorts facts to advance its political narratives. In particular, they created news and propaganda that seem to confirm the far-right conspiracy theories that have fed Trump’s rise to power. Time and again these narratives have been proven false and dangerous.

    These 11 people are some of the first arrested under this unbelievable narrative, but we should expect this sort of repression to spread further and wider. Trump does not distinguish between these defendants, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialists of America, 50501, or anyone else standing against him. They are coming for undocumented migrants, they are coming for supporters of Palestine, they are coming for those protesting ICE’s violence.

    The first months of this administration have been a disaster. People have been kidnapped in broad daylight by masked agents and sent to hellish prison camps in other countries, with detention centers like Prarieland as stopping points along the way. Natural disasters have killed hundreds with little warning or care from the government, and even now we’re still trying to count the losses from flooding in North Texas. Decades of advancement in public health have being eviscerated: measles killed more children in Texas in the last month than in the last 30 years. Transgender people are being erased from our society. US-made bombs are slaughtering millions around the world. The list goes on. People see the nightmare that is unfolding, and the state is furiously looking for ways to distract, confuse, immobilize, and terrify. In this context, it should be clear that these recent criminal charges in Alvarado, Texas, are a dangerous and unconscionable stunt in service of this goal.

    We are all affected by these disasters already, but criminalization of protest means that we risk arrest and worse as the state moves to crush everyone under its power.

    However, the people of this country will not accept authoritarian rule. From the initial waves of protest, resistance and antagonism have generalized and deepened. It has involved not only elected officials and formal organizations, but more importantly, millions of ordinary people taking bold action to protect their communities and reclaim their autonomy. This spreading resistance has been met with violent state repression such as deployment of active duty military on the streets of Los Angeles and the arrest of sitting judges and US senators. Now the state is attempting to ruin the lives of 11 people and their communities in North Texas. It is clear that no amount of appeasement and capitulation will stop these threats to our freedoms. We must then support those facing repression and not bow to this state terror.

    This is a historic moment and what will happen next is not clear. What we do know is that the best chance for all of us to live full and free lives is to join together and be brave. We in the DFW Support Committee have no choice but to push forward and fight for those we care deeply about who are currently sitting in jail. To the rest of you, we call on you to join us in our support. We will be releasing future updates and statements about concrete actions people can take. The first and most important action today is raising funds so that these 11 people have the best legal defense possible. You can find our fundraiser at  https://www.givesendgo.com/supportdfwprotestors and can contact us at dfwsupportcommittee@hacari.com.