Seven people attacked a federal ICE jail in Texas on the Fourth of July. A jury found them guilty. Together, they got 450 years in prison.

The jail is the Prairieland Detention Center. It is in Alvarado, Texas. ICE keeps people there before deportation. South Texas knows this system well. ICE works in our towns every day. These extremists tried to destroy that same system.

Eleven people showed up to attack the jail. All wore all-black clothes to hide their faces. Cops call that "black bloc." Police found body armor, rifles, and first aid kits for gunshot wounds. Fingerprints and phone data tied them to the crime.

When police arrived, defendant Benjamin Song yelled "get to the rifles." A cop's body cam caught it. Song then shot an Alvarado police officer in the neck. Song got 100 years.

The other six split the rest of the 450 years. Charges included trying to kill federal workers, helping terrorists, rioting, and shooting a gun during a violent crime. Two also faced charges for hiding records.

The trial ran 12 days. Prosecutors used 46 witnesses and 210 pieces of evidence. The jury found all seven guilty.

The group was a North Texas antifa cell. Court papers show they said they wanted to bring down the U.S. government.

FBI Director Kash Patel said: "Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated."

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said: "Their violent extremism has no place in our country."

Seven more members of the same cell pleaded guilty before trial. Each took one count of helping terrorists. They get sentenced July 1.

The Prairieland Detention Center holds people who are waiting to be sent back to their home countries. ICE runs it. Attacking it is a federal crime. The people held inside had nothing to do with the attack. They were just waiting on their cases.

The eleven who came that night were not random. Court records show this was a planned attack. The group had guns and body armor. They had med kits to treat gunshot wounds in case they got hit. They knew police would come. They came ready for a fight.

Song did not hesitate. When the cops showed up, he gave the order and pulled the trigger. The officer who was shot in the neck survived.

The trial laid out how the cell operated. They called for the overthrow of the government. They trained and planned. They were not a loose group. They were organized.

Eleven attacked the facility that night. Seven went to trial and were found guilty. Seven more pleaded guilty before trial. That is 14 people total tied to this attack. The last seven get sentenced July 1.

This was one of the biggest domestic terror trials tied to a single attack in Texas. The jury heard 46 witnesses and looked at 210 pieces of evidence over 12 days.

South Texas is home to multiple ICE detention facilities. The region sees federal immigration enforcement every day. Attacking federal officers and buildings is taken seriously here. Prosecutors from McAllen, Corpus Christi, and Houston all work these cases.

This was not a protest that went too far. This was an armed assault on a federal building. The group planned it. They brought weapons. They shot a cop.

The FBI is still investigating antifa networks. More arrests could come. The DOJ has made clear it will keep going after groups that attack law enforcement.

For now, fourteen people have been convicted or have pleaded guilty in connection with the July 4 attack. The last seven face sentencing July 1 in federal court.

All information in this story comes from Department of Justice statements and published court records.