Dallas – Dark Nights

Opening Arguments and Testimony from Alvarado Officer at Center of Prairieland Case Marks First Day of Landmark Trial Against Nine Defendants (USA)

Posted on 2026/02/25 by darknights

Testimony of Lt. Thomas Gross Undermined Government Arguments that the Noise Protest on July 4, 2025 Was an “Ambush” and “Planned Attack”

FORT WORTH, TX – Opening arguments and testimony from the Alvarado police officer at the center of the controversial Prairieland ICE Detention Center case marked the first day of trial yesterday against nine defendants. The federal government offered no new or compelling arguments in their opening statement and relied heavily on First Amendment-protected activity to make their case. However, during cross-examination, Alvarado police officer Lt. Thomas Gross revealed information that undermines the government’s narrative that the noise demonstration on July 4, 2025 was an “ambush” and that police were the targets of a “planned attack.”

During today’s proceedings, the defense team was able to cross-examine Lt. Gross, who was injured at the scene. This is the first time Gross has spoken publicly since the incident. He described a hectic scene with few details, claiming to see only a small handful of male individuals, despite multiple women defendants in the case.

On cross-examination, Lt. Gross said he spent between 2-4 hours in the hospital before being released, and could not explain why he appears to have been shot from the back despite also claiming to have been facing the person who the government alleges fired at him. Gross could not say who drew their weapon first, but he admitted drawing his weapon without any obvious threat. Gross stated that when he arrived on the scene, there was no alleged criminal activity being committed more serious than “criminal mischief.” In response to questions from defense attorney Phillip Hayes, Gross admitted that he was pointing his firearm at a fleeing person’s back, before encountering the individual holding a rifle. This testimony seemed to contradict the government’s claim that the police were ambushed.
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Jury Selection Begins Monday After Judge Declared Mistrial Last Week in Widely Watched Federal Prairieland ICE Protest Trial (USA)

Posted on 2026/02/23 by darknights

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

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.

Continue reading “Jury Selection Begins Monday After Judge Declared Mistrial Last Week in Widely Watched Federal Prairieland ICE Protest Trial (USA)” →

Pre-Trial Motions Hearings Set for Tuesday and Thursday in Landmark Federal Prairieland ICE Protest Case (USA)

Posted on 2026/02/10 - 2026/02/10 by darknights

Just Days Before the Federal Trial Begins, Defense Motions Seek to Suppress Evidence, Exclude Codefendant Statements at Trial

FORT WORTH, TX – Days before a widely watched federal trial is set to begin in the Prairieland ICE protest case, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman ordered pretrial motions hearings for Tuesday, February 10 and Thursday, February 12. Nine defendants—Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin “Champagne” Song, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto—who 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 will start their federal trial next week with jury selection on Tuesday, February 17.

On Tuesday, February 10 at 10am, Judge Pittman will hear arguments on a motion to suppress evidence against Prairieland defendant Elizabeth Soto, and a motion filed by Prairieland defendant Autumn Hill to exclude statements of codefendant Meagan Morris. A third motion filed on behalf of Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, which is currently being withheld from the public record, will be heard on Thursday, February 12 at 2pm. The Prairieland case stems from a July 4, 2025 noise demonstration in support of detained immigrants at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Continue reading “Pre-Trial Motions Hearings Set for Tuesday and Thursday in Landmark Federal Prairieland ICE Protest Case (USA)” →

Supporters of Prairieland Defendants Release Statement Raising Serious Concerns About Actions of Judge in Upcoming Federal Trial (USA)

Posted on 2026/01/21 - 2026/01/22 by darknights

+ Defendant in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case Moves to Dismiss State Indictment in Pretrial Hearing

FORT WORTH, TX — A federal judge in the Prairieland ICE Detention Center case fined three defense lawyers five hundred dollars each last week for a mistake in a routine motion to compel discovery. In a Show Cause hearing on January 14, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman admonished lawyers representing Prairieland defendant Zachary Evetts, calling the motion “frivolous.”

In response to this and other actions taken by Judge Pittman in the Prairieland case, the DFW Support Committee—a group of family and loved ones of the defendants—published a statement today. “As the Prairieland defendants’ federal trial approaches, a pattern of concerning activity by the presiding judge, Mark Pittman, has emerged,” reads the statement. “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. As such, the fairness of this trial should be an acute concern for all.”

“Judge Pittman is showing a clear disdain for the defendants,” said Irina Popova, who attended the Show Cause hearing. “Zachary’s lawyer was doing his job by asking the court to make sure he gets all the relevant evidence. The judge compared him to a five-year-old child, and bullied him into agreeing that his request was frivolous, which is deeply disturbing, and forebodes an unfair trial.” Continue reading “Supporters of Prairieland Defendants Release Statement Raising Serious Concerns About Actions of Judge in Upcoming Federal Trial (USA)” →

Nine Defendants in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case Plead Not Guilty in Federal Arraignments This Week (USA)

Posted on 2025/12/08 by darknights

Nine Defendants in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case

Plead Not Guilty in Federal Arraignments This Week

Federal Jury Trials Are Scheduled to Start January 5 for Nine Defendants, As Sentencing Hearings Approach in March for Seven Defendants Who Pleaded Guilty Last Month

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Nine defendants in the Prairieland ICE Detention Center protest case pleaded ‘not guilty’ today to federal charges, including riot, discharging a firearm, attempted murder, providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to conceal documents. A federal superseding indictment was filed in the Prairieland case on November 13 by Acting US Attorney Nancy Larson, just four days before Trump appointed former federal prosecutor Ryan Raybould as US Attorney on November 17.

Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin Song, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto pleaded ‘not guilty’ at their federal arraignments on December 3. All nine defendants are fighting their charges by taking their cases to trial. Federal jury trials are scheduled to begin January 5, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth. Continue reading “Nine Defendants in Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case Plead Not Guilty in Federal Arraignments This Week (USA)” →

U$A: Twelve More People Federally Charged in the July 4 Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case

Posted on 2025/11/18 - 2025/11/18 by darknights

Twelve More People Federally Charged in the July 4 Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case

Majority of Defendants Expected to Enter ‘Not Guilty’ Pleas December 3, Refusing Early Plea Offer of Up To 15 Years in Prison

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Twelve people were federally charged late last week in connection with the immigrant solidarity demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025. The new indictment and charges, including rioting, attempted murder, and material support for terrorism, came as a majority of defendants are expected to plead not guilty on December 3. Notably, federal prosecutors are offering early plea deals with recommended sentences of up to 15 years in prison.

A number of defendants could plead guilty in the coming days as a result of pressure by the federal government. The terms of the plea agreements have not been made public, but some defendants are refusing to cooperate against their codefendants. Historically, in politically motivated cases, defendants who take federal plea deals that involve cooperating with the government against their codefendants have not necessarily received more lenient sentences, and may not lessen the potential legal harm stemming from their corresponding State cases.

“The prosecution is grasping at straws,” said National Lawyers Guild member Kris Hermes. “Plea deals offered this early show the government is desperate for a quick conviction that fits their nonsense ‘Antifa’ narrative. This case is a shoddy attempt to terrorize the movement in solidarity with immigrants, but it’s not going to work.”

The defendants who were federally charged last week were added to the case of Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts, who were federally indicted last month. US District Court Judge Mark Pittman granted the government’s motion earlier in November to designate the Prairieland case as “complex”, thereby delaying the trials of Hill and Evetts, which were scheduled to start later this month. Another defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was previously indicted separately and has now been added to this case, and his trial has been delayed from early December, as originally scheduled. It’s now unclear when Hill, Evetts, Sanchez-Estrada, and the other defendants will go to trial. Continue reading “U$A: Twelve More People Federally Charged in the July 4 Prairieland ICE Detention Center Protest Case” →

Federal Agents Arrest Another Person in Prairieland Case, Bringing Total Number of Defendants to 18 (USA)

Posted on 2025/10/25 - 2026/01/08 by darknights

The Arrest Comes More Than Three Months After July 4 Immigrant Solidarity Protest and Less Than a Month After Felony Charges Were Brought Against Johnson County Sheriff Adam King, Who Is Directly Involved in the Prairieland Case

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — In an early morning raid yesterday, federal agents arrested another person in connection with a July 4 protest at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center. More than three months after the protest, Janette Goering was arrested by federal and local police at her home in Carrollton, Texas, on Tuesday, October 21. Goering is being held at Johnson County Jail on a state charge of aiding in the commission of terrorism and has a bond set at $5 million.

Goering’s arrest continues a trend of escalation by police and prosecutors in a case that now involves 18 defendants. The government is using exorbitant bonds of up to $15 million to imprison all but one of the defendants. “It’s unbelievable that more than three months later the state is still trying to widen the net in this case,” said a spokesperson for the DFW Support Committee, a group of family and loved ones of defendants. “They’re attempting to prosecute this as an “Antifa” case in order to terrorize the movement in solidarity with immigrants, but it’s not going to work.”

The case has been hailed by the Trump administration as the first legal case against “Antifa.” On October 15, federal charges were formally brought against two of the Prairieland defendants, Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts; the charges include 1 count of providing material support to terrorists, 3 counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the United States, and 3 counts of discharging a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence. FBI director Kash Patel called the defendants “Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists,” sharing Fox News coverage of the indictments on X. “This seems like a coordinated political campaign,” said Stephanie Shiver, wife of defendant Meagan Morris. “The feds didn’t do anything for months and then they bring everyone into court just days after Trump designated ‘Antifa’ a priority threat.” 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. Continue reading “Federal Agents Arrest Another Person in Prairieland Case, Bringing Total Number of Defendants to 18 (USA)” →

Prairieland Defendants Press Release – Sept 24/2025

Posted on 2025/09/26 - 2025/09/26 by darknights

Prairieland Defendants Arraigned in Fort Worth Federal Court
Defendants Remain in Custody on up to $10 Million Bonds for Unindicted Charges

September 24th, 2025

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Defendants arrested in connection with the widely-covered July 4th protest at the Prairieland Immigration Detention Center were arraigned on Monday and Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Fort Worth. The arraignments came after nearly three months without movement by the prosecution and marks an important milestone in one of the most significant protest-related legal cases at a time of rising public dissent against Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Currently, 17 people are facing charges ranging from attempted murder to obstruction of justice following a protest that defendants and supporters are confident was not planned to be violent. The police allege that shots were fired by one person, injuring an officer; this single allegation has expanded to accusations the defendants were involved in a vast conspiracy. “The police are clearly using this as an opportunity to criminalize protest against ICE detentions and deportations,” said Stephanie Shiver, wife of defendant Meagan Morris. “Their narrative is ridiculous and unbelievable.” Continue reading “Prairieland Defendants Press Release – Sept 24/2025” →

DFW Support Committee Denounces Abuse of Prairieland Defendants (USA)

Posted on 2025/07/14 by darknights

Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas — A week after the arrest of 10 protestors at a demonstration at Prairieland ICE Detention Center and the subsequent arrest of the spouse of an arrestee, Johnson County Jail is obstructing the defendants’ access to legal representation and retaliating against them for exercising their 5th and 6th amendment rights pursuant to the U.S. Constitution. These constitutional violations have occurred in conjunction with a far-reaching investigation that has included numerous instances of excessive force and intimidation by various police agencies, friends and family of the defendants reveal. Continue reading “DFW Support Committee Denounces Abuse of Prairieland Defendants (USA)” →

Prairieland Defendants – 11 charged after July 4th shooting at North Texas ICE facility (USA)

Posted on 2025/07/13 by darknights

Prairieland Defendants Support Group Releases Statement and Begins Fundraiser

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX — Today, members of the DFW Support Committee, a group supporting the 11 Prairieland Detention Center arrestees, released a public statement and legal support fundraiser. On July 4th, a group of people protested against the kidnappings and renditions of ICE at the Prairieland Detention Center. By the next day, 10 people were arrested and their loved ones and friends were scrambling to locate them and find out what had happened to them. On July 6th, the spouse of one of the defendants was arrested by the FBI and later charged with obstruction of justice. The police’s story did not make sense to the arrestees’ loved ones and friends, so they began organizing to free the arrestees. Recognizing a need to raise funds to support the defendants and to address the political context in which this is occurring, the DFW Support Committee is releasing a statement and starting a fundraiser for defendants.

The committee’s statement has been released after the arrestees were subsequently charged by the US Department of Justice in a charging document that frames the protest as a violent ambush. Additionally, the spouse of one of the initial defendants was detained by the FBI. The statement categorically rejects this narrative and suggests instead that, “The glaring inconsistencies in the official narrative and the alarmist accusations are a clear attempt to bolster the Trump administration’s claims that the United States is on the verge of chaos, warranting a dramatic increase in militarized police action.”

In addition to the statement, the committee has launched a fundraiser for the defendants. This fundraiser’s description states that it is intended to “raise legal fees and living expenses for all those facing repression connected to the protest at the Prairieland Detention Center.” At the time of release, over $11,000 has been raised. Continue reading “Prairieland Defendants – 11 charged after July 4th shooting at North Texas ICE facility (USA)” →