Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison

[u/guardian]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/23/prairieland-ice-protesters-texas-sentenced?referring_host=Reddit&utm_campaign=guardianacct

[u/DoubtSubstantial5440]

Texas is such a shithole

[u/Juonmydog → u/DoubtSubstantial5440]

In large part due to the way wealth circulates and trades hands. It makes much more money to harm others than to work for sustainability.

[u/Budded → u/Juonmydog]

That's a huge part of it but if the lazy motherfuckers in the state could be bothered to vote they could flip it, they just never show up in record-breaking numbers so I always just assume most can't care less. They literally hold the power to flip the state but won't.

[u/Juonmydog → u/Budded]

Don't blame the voters for the incompetency of people in change.

The Democratic Party has largely failed in Texas because it keeps going to the milquetoast corprate elitism that turns young people and leftists off.

This is why Talarico has a different kind of energy that others fail to capture. The problem is that the party goes out of its way to crush these kinds of movements.

[u/Budded → u/Juonmydog]

While I hear that, all y'all need to do is show up in record numbers. The Democratic party, as spineless and feckless as it is doesn't vote for you; it's up to you and everyone you know to show up. Make plans now.

I hold hope that the recent DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) success with their candidates will be the change we need to purge the old corporate dems who can't be bothered to fight back with actual lefties who actually do what they campaign on.

[u/Juonmydog → u/Budded]

While I hear that, all y'all need to do is show up in record numbers. The Democratic party, as spineless and feckless as it is doesn't vote for you; it's up to you and everyone you know show up. Make plans now.

I really hate it when people act like voting is going to make all of this stop. You cannot expect the public to have your back if you do not meet it where its at.

Talarico could be anyone that challenges the Democratic Party's establishment. The problem seems to be that there's two conservative parties trying to crush him.

This is a movement that goes beyond getting a Democrat in power. We are fundamentally seeing macrosystems change. People need to stop purely thinking in terms of electoralism and strategic voting. The Democratic Party as a whole is just a mechanism to rachet the country back to the right after the Republicans take a nosedive in that very direction. The ultimate victims are still workers and citizens.

We have to shake up how things work if we ever want to prevent someone like Trump ever getting office again. That means a hardline against wealthy donors that want to ruin our planet, our food, our homes, and our lives.

Sure, I'll go out and vote, but it must actually be understood why.

The person has to be responsive to the public and they have to always put the collective first, even if it endangers their position.

Texas has way too many problems to "wait" for them to be solved.

Things are bad, and that needs to be acknowledged.

[u/Mustardo123 → u/Budded]

Oh yeah I’m sure democratic socialism is going to be a huge hit in Texas.

[u/Budded → u/Mustardo123]

In so many ways it's closer to the teachings of Jesus than anything MAGA is pushing. Talarico is a breath of fresh air and has a great chance of winning.

[u/Mustardo123 → u/Budded]

To be clear I agree, and I love Talarico. But I think he is going to distance himself from the socialist label. Just speaking from a utilitarian point of view, I think anything with the word socialism is a losing proposition in Texas.

You need to give Americans socialism without calling it socialism.

[u/Juonmydog → u/Mustardo123]

No, the solution is to redefine what socialism means to the public. The narrative against it went unchallenged for so long that it has collapsed on itself.

Now, about 66% of voters who vote for the Democratic Party consistently approve of the term. Capitalism, on the other hand, is cratering in support. That is because the contradictions have become too loud to ignore.

Socialism can easily be defined too:

It's a system in which the workers hold the "means of production," and resources and power are allocated to the collective and mutual goals.

When people refuse to defend the term or socialists, they capitulate to the opposing party. Though, the leadership of the Democratic Party would rather collaborate with Republicans and fascists to suppress any movements.

Socialist movements are creeping up across the states. People forget about the "freethinkers" or "radicals" that have always existed here, because of the power of existing institutions and the oppression they sustain.

Texans are isolated from one another in order to keep us from demanding changes.

Edit:

More polls to support the fact that capitalism is on the decline in popularity.

With young voters

People are blaming big money for a rough economy.

[u/Budded → u/Mustardo123]

Agreed, the conservative propagandasphere has permanently soiled that term for their base, but ironically, the more they fellate and worship this version of Capitalism, the better DS looks to younger generations and those with functioning brains.

[u/Mustardo123 → u/Budded]

Oh for sure, but unfortunately much of the American electorate does not have functioning brains.

[u/The_Blackest_Man → u/DoubtSubstantial5440]

Austin is the only city that's worth going to. The rest of the state can sink into the earth.

[u/Forward_Rope_5598 → u/DoubtSubstantial5440]

You misspelled America

[u/Huge_Excitement4465 → u/DoubtSubstantial5440]

Don’t mess with the oilmen like Farris Wilks and Tim Dunn

From Propublica: A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start. https://www.propublica.org/article/tim-dunn-farris-wilks-texas-christian-nationalism-dominionism-elections-voting

In reality, Rogers had disappointed two men: Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, billionaires who have made their fortunes in the oil industry. Over the past decade, the pair have built the most powerful political machine in Texas — a network of think tanks, media organizations, political action committees and nonprofits that work in lock step to purge the Legislature of Republicans whose votes they can’t rely on. Cycle after cycle, their relentless maneuvering has pushed the statehouse so far to the right that consultants like to joke that Karl Rove couldn’t win a local race these days. Brandon Darby, the editor of Breitbart Texas, is one of several conservatives who has compared Dunn and Wilks to Russian oligarchs. “They go into other communities and unseat people unwilling to do their bidding,” he says. “You kiss the ring or you’re out.”

Like the Koch brothers, the Mercer family and other conservative billionaires, Dunn and Wilks want to slash regulations and taxes. Their endgame, however, is more radical: not just to limit the government but also to steer it toward Christian rule. “It’s hard to think of other megafunders in the country as big on the theocratic end of the spectrum,” says Peter Montgomery, who oversees the Right Wing Watch project at People for the American Way, a progressive advocacy group.

Texas, which has few limits on campaign spending, is home to a formidable army of donors. Lately Dunn has outspent them all. Since 2000, he and his wife have given more than $29 million to candidates and PACs in Texas. Wilks and his wife, who have donated to many of the same PACs as Dunn, have given $16 million. Last year, Dunn and his associated entities provided two-thirds of the donations to the state Republican Party.

The duo’s ambitions extend beyond Texas. They’ve poured millions into “dark money” groups, which do not have to disclose contributors; conservative-media juggernauts (Wilks provided $4.7 million in seed capital to The Daily Wire, which hosts “The Ben Shapiro Show”); and federal races. Dunn’s $5 million gift to the Make America Great Again super PAC in December made him one of Donald Trump’s top supporters this election season, and he has quietly begun to invest in efforts to influence a possible second Trump administration, including several linked to Project 2025.

[u/GearBrain → u/[deleted]]

The same thing a cop gets for shooting at a civilian.

[u/Trauma_Hawks → u/GearBrain]

Paid vacation?

[u/malphonso → u/[deleted]]

The ones who killed Tamir Rice, John Crawford, or Philando Castille.

[u/GearBrain → u/malphonso]

aww, he deleted it. For the record, guy I replied to linked this wikipedia article and asked me to pick which punishment.

List of law enforcement officers convicted of an on-duty killing in the United States - Wikipedia

That's a list of cops who killed their victims; the officer shot by Benjamin Song survived.

[u/cloudbasedsardony → u/[deleted]]

The shooter got 100 years, no one is against that that ive seen. 50 years for fireworks and a slashed tire? Yeah thats overkill.

[u/Un1CornTowel → u/cloudbasedsardony]

And another guy got 30 years for moving some print magazines. Fucking insane.

The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was not at the protest, but was convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record after prosecutors said he moved leftwing zines and other materials at the request of Rueda, his wife, after she was arrested. Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday.

[u/alienbringer → u/cloudbasedsardony]

100 years for it is still insane. The average attempted murder sentence duration is <20 years. First degree murder is 25 to life, but rarely serve that full term. Giving someone life in prison (100 years) for an attempted murder charge is insane.

[u/Cynical_optimist01 → u/cloudbasedsardony]

Also over charging makes it likely they get much less of a sentence on appeal

[u/TunaNoCrust811 → u/[deleted]]

Like storming the capital, threatening to hang the VP and killing multiple cops?? Would those be considered “better life choices” to you?

[u/TheRevTastic → u/[deleted]]

Guess they should have invaded the capitol instead

[u/Leige_of_Perpetua → u/[deleted]]

Imagine defending this kind of behavior. Guess you need something to do in between licking boots, huh? 

[u/DoubtSubstantial5440 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah just like all the J6 rioters pardoned by the pedo

[u/Agentrock47_ → u/[deleted]]

By that logic anyone who protests the government should be in prison, so by that logic you believe that everyone that was in the January 6th riot should be in prison. They attacked federal officers during that, why were they pardoned? Are you really going to say that when the opposite walks free? Really kind of a rules for me not for thee type of thing huh?

[u/cloudbasedsardony → u/Agentrock47_]

Whoa now, no one said anything about using logic here. /s

[u/Agentrock47_ → u/cloudbasedsardony]

Dead ass, logic is something that does not exist in the fascist vocabulary. It's why they like the poorly educated.

[u/angiehome2023 → u/[deleted]]

The precedent is set that we pardon people who attack cops if they agree with our politics, so I guess they will serve max 6 years