Antifa is a violent insurrectionist organization that can reasonably be seen as the militant arm of the Democratic Party, much as the Ku Klux Klan was the Democrats’ militant arm a couple of generations ago. Some Democratic politicians cheer on Antifa, while most maintain a discreet silence with regard to its activities. I don’t recall having seen a Democratic politician criticize the organization.
On July 4, 2025, an Antifa cell in Texas attacked an ICE detention center in an effort to kill federal law enforcement personnel and free illegal aliens who were detained there. They shot a local police officer in the neck, but fortunately he survived. The Antifa assault was repelled, and its participants were tracked down by federal authorities. The leader of the Antifa cell was Benjamin Song. He escaped from the scene and remained briefly at large with the help of other Antifa members.
The Department of Justice charged 16 Antifa members with offenses ranging from attempted murder to riot and providing material support to terrorists. Seven pled guilty prior to trial, while charges against nine were tried to a jury beginning in February. All were convicted, and yesterday eight of the nine were sentenced by a federal judge.
Ringleader Benjamin Song, convicted of attempted murder among other things, was sentenced to 100 years in prison. The others received sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years. You can read about the case in this DOJ press release. It describes the assault on the ICE center and the evidence against the convicted defendants.
Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, 2025, at least eleven of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc”—dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities—designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items to treat gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack.
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Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover.
This prosecution is the first that follows up on President Trump’s executive order of September 2025, designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Democrats have generally been horrified at these criminals’ sentences:
Ah, democrats in congress are publicly expressing support for a group of domestic terrorists who tried to assassinate a cop to free illegal aliens.
But remember, you’re a dangerous extremist if you get loud at a school board meeting. https://t.co/WJCYzIHkeR
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) June 23, 2026
Notwithstanding the voluminous evidence introduced at trial, the Washington Post continues to stick up for Antifa, suggesting that these criminals may not have been members of that organization. I assume that is because the Post recognizes Antifa as some sort of affiliate of the Democratic Party:
It is great to see the federal government getting serious about domestic terrorists, and particularly about violent attacks on ICE and other law enforcement personnel. I would note that the attack on the Texas ICE facility was something like 1,000 times worse than the January 6 riot. If we compare the sentences meted out to the Antifa terrorists to those imposed on January 6 protesters who did not even engage in violent acts, the Antifa thugs got off easy.
