What is the Prairieland Case?
The Prairieland case is a political repression case stemming from a protest in solidarity with ICE Detainees that occurred on July 4th at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, south of Fort Worth. There are currently 18 defendants facing life-altering state and federal charges. All but one are still in custody, being held on multi-million dollar bails and enduring horrific conditions. The accusations of the government are absurd, and the police response has been extreme, making it obvious that this is part of an effort to criminalize dissent along with the other high profile cases in Spokane, Portland, and Illinois. It has repeatedly been used by the Trump administration and its allies as an example of violence by “antifa.”
What do we know?
There was a noise demo held at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4th in solidarity with ICE detainees.
In all, 18 people have been arrested and charged with a variety of crimes. 9 people were arrested that night, and another was arrested the next day during a raid on a house.
The spouse of one defendant was arrested and charged with federal obstruction of justice with the evidence of a box of anarchist zines found in his car. One person the police believe to have been at the protest was detained after a 10 day manhunt involving the eventual arrest of 6 others. One of those arrested as part of the manhunt was charged with tampering with physical evidence for removing someone from group chats.
Loved ones have good reasons to believe the state’s narrative is ludicrous based on their knowledge of the defendants and statements defendants have made since their arrest.
As on November 13th, ten of the defendants have been combined onto a single indictment with a total of twelve charges. Seven others are charges separately on information.
What does the state allege?
The state alleges that toward the end of the demonstration an individual fired a gun at an Alvarado police officer. The officer was allegedly injured in the neck and was released from the hospital within hours.
The prosecution alleges that this was a coordinated ambush planned by all those in attendance. The subject of the manhunt and only accused shooter, Benjamin Song, is claimed
to have been hidden by a number of individuals.
The DOJ claims that the defendants are part of a violent ideological movement they call “antifa.” As evidence they cite zines, political rhetoric, and many practices common for
activists such as using Signal, wearing black, and asserting their rights when arrested. They also use as evidence the printing press found in 2 defendants’ garage, which they used to print books for small left-wing presses.
Why should this be a concern to all?
This is a propaganda gold mine for the Trump administration. A number of the defendants are trans and many have associations with radical left and anti-fascist groups. They are using it as an opportunity to validate the conspiratorial fantasies of transgender anti-fascist armed terrorist cells invading small towns to kill cops. This is evidenced by Trump’s use of this example as the first bullet point in the press release announcing the designation of “antifa” as a terrorist organization.
The goal of this case is to criminalize dissent. Regardless of what happened at the demonstration on July 4th, the scale and nature of the state’s response was clearly meant to
spread fear and demobilize anti-ICE protest.
The charges, bail, and police action in this case are extraordinary and are occurring at a time when all systems are being overwhelmed, both on the side of the movement and the state. If we allow them to pursue this unopposed it will be clear that they can “flood the zone” of repression and easily undermine any legal rights we still have.
What are the problems with the state allegations?
The core issue with the allegations around July 4th is that the state has provided no evidence that there was coordination to fire at police. Most of the individuals were actually arrested a few blocks from the alleged incident and the evidence presented by the federal prosecutors is heavily politicized and nearly entirely circumstantial.
There is obvious evidence that those who went to the protest that night planned to return home. Some left pets or children at home with no care plan.
Statements by defendants since the arrest have consistently asserted their innocence.
For more see:
- https://thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/24/new-details-july-4-ice-attack-holes-feds-case/
- https://truthout.org/articles/these-dallas-residents-are-on-the-front-lines-of-trumps-war-against-antifa/
Other important facts:
For months, defendants were held in horrible conditions. They were held in isolation, subject to invasive and unnecessary strip searches, denied access to lawyers, and had legal notes
confiscated. One defendant was placed in a cell with feces smeared on the walls and told to clean it herself.
Who is supporting the defendants:
The DFW Support Committee has been formed from family, friends, and loved ones of the defendants. It’s based locally in DFW but has been actively coordinating with people around
the country.
Des has his own support committee who has been working on the particularities of his situation including his immigration case.