The Antifa attack on the Texas ICE facility in Alvarado was a highly coordinated plan, using fireworks and a fake vandalism call to lure out ICE agents and police so that they could be shot in a hail of gunfire. Responding Alvarado Police Department Lieutenant Thomas Gross was shot in the shoulder and the rifle round exited his neck during the crossfire, but he managed to survive.
Members of the group tried to escape the scene, pretending to be harmless pedestrians, but were apprehended anyway. The common excuse among those detained: "We're just peaceful protesters..."
Eight of the activists who were found guilty by a federal jury of terrorism-related charges earlier this year learned the details of their punishments this week. The group's leader, Benjamin Song, was sentenced to a century in prison.
Song was hit with the longest prison sentence: 100 years behind bars. Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Autumn Hill was sentenced to 50 years, along with Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, and Elizabeth Soto. Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Critics of the conviction and sentencing claim the decision is purely "political"; designed to make examples out of leftist protesters who committed "minor crimes".
The obvious counter-argument is yes, they are being made into an example, and that's a good thing.
Over 600 conservatives present at the January 6th protests were sentenced to prison for far less - Merely breaking a window or walking peacefully into the Capitol Building earned them a conviction and years of incarceration. This action was a true case of targeted government prosecution for the sake of making a political example. Meanwhile, Antifa and BLM protesters were given special protection.
Billions in property damage and numerous deaths later, BLM and Antifa members who were arrested used NGO funded legal resources to get out of jail quickly. Democrat run cities never pursued charges against the majority of them. This set a dangerous precedent; Antifa is now emboldened under the assumption that they can do anything they want and the consequences will be slim to none.
The recent federal court decision changes all that. At least when if come to federal facilities, they can no longer count on a two-tiered justice system to keep them safe.
The primary enablers of far left violence (which has grown exponentially over the past decade) are global NGOs and their spinoff organizations, Democrat politicians, the progressive media and a lack of prominent symbols of punishment. When you're dealing with mentally unhinged zealots, the only way to make them stop is to make them afraid.
Until recently, Antifa has had little reason to be afraid. The system they claim to be fighting against has actually been supporting them and their insurgency from behind the curtain. The Trump Administration is set on changing this dynamic and the Alvarado, TX group is the first in line to face a reckoning.