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Concerns Grow Over Whether the Prairieland Defendants Can Receive a Fair Trial, Based on Severe Trial Restrictions, Prejudicial Statements at Highest Levels of Government—Press Conference Monday at 8am
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FORT WORTH, TX – Nine defendants will proceed to federal trial on Monday in a widely watched case that stems from a July 4, 2025 noise demonstration in support of detained immigrants at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Following a mistrial declared last week by presiding U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman for a defense attorney’s attire featuring civil rights leaders, jury selection is scheduled to begin again on Monday, February 23. The trial is expected to last at least three weeks. Defendants Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin “Champagne” Song, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto were indicted in November on a variety of charges including riot, discharging a firearm, attempted murder, material support for terrorism, and conspiracy to conceal documents.
A press conference will be held at the southeast corner of Burke Burnett Park, across the street from the courthouse, on Monday, February 23 at 8am.
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What: Federal trial and press conference for nine defendants in the Prairieland protest case
When: Monday, February 23 – Press Conference at 8am, Jury selection begins at 9am Where: Federal Courthouse, 501 West 10th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102 |
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*An overflow room to view the trial virtually has been opened in Courtroom 1570 at the Earle Cabell Federal Building at 1100 Commerce Street, Dallas, Texas 75242.
Under significant public pressure, Judge Pittman made accommodations for a trial overflow area, but in a Dallas courthouse, more than a 30-minute drive from the Fort Worth courthouse where the defendants are being tried. Thus far, Judge Pittman has refused to move the trial to a courtroom that can accommodate the number of family members, journalists, and the general public wanting to witness a trial of significant public interest. No broadcasting equipment is allowed in the Fort Worth Courthouse, and Judge Pittman has also banned any livestream to the general public.
“Given the national significance of the Prairieland case, media and public access to the trial is of utmost importance and foundational to democratic justice,” said Suzanne Adely, President of the National Lawyers Guild. “Barring such access not only limits transparency, but also impugns the court’s accountability and the integrity of the judicial system more broadly.” The DFW Support Committee issued a statement in January underscoring the significance of ensuring a fair trial. “The fate of the defendants—and the result of this trial—will have enormous impacts on the legal terrain for those resisting ICE terror and the course of the rising authoritarianism in the U.S.,” read the statement. “As such, the fairness of this trial should be an acute concern for all.”
Supporters are raising increased concerns over whether the Prairieland defendants will receive a fair trial given the severe trial restrictions, including public access to the trial and the punitive posture of the Court before the trial has even begun. As an example, Judge Pittman has limited defense attorneys to only eight minutes each for their opening statements, and 35 hours total for all nine defendants to question witnesses, despite the severe consequences that several defendants are facing, such as life in prison. Judge Pittman is also limiting defense objections during trial, which has the effect of limiting defendant-specific arguments. In an extraordinary move, Judge Pittman declared last week that only he will be allowed to ask questions of the jury during voir dire.
“I have never been in a situation where I might be prohibited from being present at a hearing of my own client,” said Xavier T. de Janon, attorney for Elizabeth Soto in her Johnson County state case. “The Court-imposed constraints on the defense resemble Jim Crow era courtrooms, where Black defendants would never get due process and their attorneys would be punished for advocating for their clients.”
All nine trial defendants have been moved to Tarrant County Jail, where they are being held during the trial. Tarrant County Jail is notorious for its neglect and abuse of prisoners held there, with as many as 70 deaths since 2017, and at least five last year alone. “Our loved ones have been moved to Tarrant County Jail, put in solitary confinement, and had their legal paperwork confiscated a week before trial,” said Cynthia Lokey, the mother of Prairieland defendant Savanna Batten. “The state has also designated the defendants as aggressive and dangerous, which has meant they are restrained and confined in wheelchairs when being transported, brought to court in shackles, with a federal agent placed behind each defendant,” continued Lokey. “It’s all aimed at breaking the defendants and making it appear they are far more dangerous than they actually are, as they approach the trial of their lives.”
Prejudicial statements related to these cases have been made repeatedly by officials at the highest levels of government, undermining the defendants’ ability to get a fair trial. The Trump administration has publicly claimed that the Prairieland case is the first legal case against Antifa, while Trump declared Antifa a domestic terrorist organization. On September 25, the White House released the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7), which ordered all federal law enforcement agencies to prioritize combating Antifa as a domestic terrorism threat. FBI director Kash Patel has called the Prairieland defendants “Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists,” sharing Fox News coverage of the case on X.
Yet, supporters are refuting the claims of terrorism and planned violence. “The Prairieland case is a protest case involving people expressing solidarity with detained immigrants,” said Amber Lowrey, sister of defendant Savanna Batten. “The federal government is trying to reframe protest activity as terrorism, and we’re seeing this attempted across the country, in Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, and now here in Dallas-Fort Worth.”
The nine federal defendants are also charged in a State case, along with eight additional defendants, forcing them to fight their State and federal charges concurrently. Seven federal defendants pleaded guilty to federal charges in November 2025 and are awaiting sentencing.
Exorbitant bonds of up to $15 million are being used in the State cases to imprison people who do not represent a flight risk or a danger to the community. Supporters believe that pretrial detention is being used by the government to hinder the defense and to maintain the dominant narrative in the media.
The Prairieland cases, involving both state and federal charges, stem from a noise demonstration in solidarity with detainees at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025. After the protest, an officer with the Alvarado Police Department allegedly became involved in an exchange of gunfire soon after arrival. The officer allegedly sustained minor injuries, and was reportedly released from the hospital shortly afterwards. Authorities have still not provided hospital records to justify these claims, seven months later. Alvarado police arrested ten people in the area, and a manhunt ensued in the subsequent days for another defendant. Eight more defendants were arrested in the days and weeks following the protest.
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For more information on the Prairieland cases and the DFW Support Committee:
prairielanddefendants.com |