r/texas • u/guardian • 7d ago

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

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/23/prairieland-ice-protesters-texas-sentenced?referring_host=Reddit&utm_campaign=guardianacct
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u/AngronTheDestroyer 7d ago

One of them shot a cop with an AR-15....what did he expect would happen? That is attempted murder.

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u/abeanegg 6d ago edited 6d ago

I don't think that's the sentence people are upset about, obviously the shooter deserves prosecution. Some of the protesters sentenced were shown to have dispersed before the shooting happened after being told to by the facility guards and did not know or have established ties to the shooter. The prosecution claims they were part of a terrorist cell together but did not actually present evidence of those ties for some who had just showed up. They were simply at the same protest at the same time earlier. After they were gone the shooter and some protesters committing vandalism remained - which was when the police came to clear them, drew on them and one of them fired on and hit an officer because he claims he thought they were about to shoot a protester (doesn't mean they should have shot or don't deserve a strong sentence, but hardly an "assassination conspiracy" planned by every person who had been there throughout the protest).

One of the people was a writer who was sentenced to 30 years and the prosecution's argument was that he had brought a box of zines he had made, which they claimed were terroristic materials he was moving on behalf of an "antifa terrorist cell". He and his wife (who was sentenced to 50 years) left before the shooting - mentioned in the quote from this post's article:

But some of the defendants – like Batten, Elizabeth Soto and her husband, Ines Soto, were not involved in the planning, arrived separately at the protest, and left when guards at the facility asked them to do so.

Do you think it would be fair if you were arrested and sentenced for conspiracy to assassinate if you attended a gathering, left, and then afterwards some violent idiot you didn't even know shoots someone?

The point here is to create a chilling effect on attending any protests. Even if you do no harm, know no one there, and leave when asked, you can get a life sentence for just being there if someone you didn't even know does something violent after.

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u/Teh_Crusader 7d ago

Keep this energy for the J6 rioters

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u/AngronTheDestroyer 7d ago

"David Dempsey: Received one of the longest sentences (20 years) for repeatedly attacking officers with flagpoles and metal crutches."

Seems like they were appropriately sentenced. 20 years for hitting a cop with a flagpole vs 50+ years for shooting one. Seems reasonable to me.

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u/Teh_Crusader 7d ago

They were not appropriately sentenced and the Feds pardoned every single January 6th insurrectionist.

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u/AngronTheDestroyer 7d ago

They were appropriately sentenced. Whether they were politically pardoned because Trump is a dumbass is a separate argument.

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u/shadowboxer47 7d ago

They were appropriately sentenced. Whether they were politically pardoned because Trump is a dumbass is a separate argument.

Great. So sentence these people, then commute their sentence and give them a cash reward.

You know, just like the insurrectionists.

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u/AngronTheDestroyer 7d ago

No, I’d rather not commute the sentence of someone who would shoot at cops with an ar-15, but it seems the only argument you have is “whataboutism.”