Judges in Texas on July 1 handed down more jail time for members of Antifa who pleaded guilty to attacking an immigration detention center last year.
The defendants were part of a group arrested in connection with an alleged ambush that left one officer seriously wounded.
Rebecca Morgan and Joy Abigail Gibson did not cooperate with authorities, but pleaded guilty, and each got 15 years, multiple media outlets reported. The suspects were originally facing multiple decades in prison.
Seth Edison Sikes, Lynette Read Sharp, Nathan Josiah Baumann, and John Phillip Thomas also pleaded guilty and received reduced sentences after cooperating with law enforcement. Those sentences ranged from 22 months to just over nine years.
Ines Houston Soto refused to plead, but was convicted and sentenced to 50 years for his part in the incident.
Wednesday’s sentencing comes after Benjamin Song was sentenced last month to 100 years for attempted murder and terrorism-related charges related to the same event.
Eight others convicted of attacking the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, got sentences ranging from 30 to 70 years.
Song’s attorney, Philip Hayes, tried to recast the attack as a protest.
“This is a bunch of kids and young adults who really have a really big heart and really wanted their voice to be heard,” he told reporters outside a Fort Worth courthouse.
But the Justice Department said that, during the attack, Song shouted, “Get to the rifles!” and began firing on officers. He fired 11 times, striking an officer in the neck; the officer was treated and later recovered.
The attack happened on July 4, 2025. Prosecutors said members of a North Texas Antifa cell, dressed in all black with face coverings, showed up at the detention center just before 11 p.m.
They had more than 50 firearms, and some members had Kevlar vests. They also carried firecrackers and bullhorns.
Prosecutors said they vandalized vehicles and a security camera, and shot fireworks at the building to draw out the officers inside. The Antifa members said the incident was meant to be a “noise protest” demonstrating against the work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The convictions mark the first time an Antifa cell has faced terrorism charges; President Donald Trump labeled the group as a terrorist organization last September.
Darlene McCormick Sanchez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
