FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Eight people accused of having links to antifa are being sentenced Tuesday for their convictions on terrorism charges related to the shooting of a police officer outside a Texas immigration detention center last July 4. A federal jury found them guilty in March of providing material support to terrorists and other charges following a nearly three-week trial. Most face a federal prison sentence from ten to 60 years.Benjamin Song, the demonstrator who prosecutors say opened fire and wounded a local police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado was convicted of attempted murder and faces a minimum penalty of 20 years and up to life in prison. Another defendant, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, who was convicted of corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents, could get up to 40 years.
Others who pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists rather than take their case to trial face up to 15 years in federal prison when they are sentenced Tuesday in Fort Worth. Prosecutors say the eight are members of antifa, a decentralized anti-fascist organization that has become a target of the Trump administration. They have denied any affiliation and maintain they attended the demonstration to show support for immigrants inside the detention center.
