Overview
- Federal judges on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, imposed prison terms after convictions in March tied to a July 4, 2025, attack at the Prairieland ICE detention center, with Benjamin Hanil Song sentenced to 100 years and seven co-defendants given 30 to 70 years each.
- Jurors convicted the defendants on terrorism-related and violent-crime counts including providing material support to terrorists, rioting, conspiracy to use explosives and, for Song, attempted murder and firearm offenses.
- Prosecutors presented evidence they say showed a coordinated ambush—encrypted chats, firearms and body armor, fireworks used to lure officers, Faraday bags and military-style medical kits—while defense lawyers say the group meant to protest detention conditions and deny formal antifa ties.
- The Justice Department and FBI framed the case as a precedent for targeting alleged antifa networks and praised the sentences, and related federal charges have been filed recently in Minnesota signaling broader enforcement activity.
- Civil-rights groups and defendants’ families say the long terms threaten free speech and assembly, defendants plan appeals, and several other guilty-plea or convicted defendants are scheduled for sentencing on July 1.