FORT WORTH, TEXAS – Four individuals pleaded not guilty Wednesday in connection with a July 4 attack on a Texas immigration detention center that left a local police officer shot in the neck.
Brandon Song, 32, of Dallas, along with co-defendants Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, and Maricela Rueda, entered their pleas before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cureton, who set their trial for January 5. The defendants appeared in orange and white jumpsuits, shackled and flanked by attorneys, while friends and family watched from the gallery. Song briefly smiled at supporters as he was led away by U.S. marshals.
The attack targeted the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, about 30 miles south of Fort Worth. Prosecutors allege that 10 to 12 individuals dressed in black fired fireworks at the facility around 10:49 p.m., spray-painted messages including “Ice pig” and “Fuck you pigs” on property, and opened fire on correctional officers who responded. Investigators say the officer was shot in the neck but survived and was released from the hospital.
Federal and state authorities have charged approximately 18 people in connection with the incident. Early indictments included Batten, Morris, Rueda, Cameron Arnold, Zachary Evetts, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, and Seth Sikes. The initial defendants faced counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in connection with a violent crime.
A 12-count federal indictment filed in November named additional suspects, including Song, and accused the group of operating as the “North Texas Antifa Cell,” with Song allegedly acting as a leader who distributed firearms and coordinated training sessions. Prosecutors claim several defendants also created and circulated insurrectionary materials known as “zines.”
If convicted, the penalties range from 10 years to life in federal prison for some defendants, with others facing 10 to 50 years. Several defendants previously pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists and await sentencing.
This attack was part of a series of incidents targeting ICE facilities in Texas within three months. In July, a Border Patrol facility in McAllen was attacked, resulting in one death and an officer’s injury. In September, a Dallas ICE field office saw a shooting that killed two detainees; no staff were harmed. Authorities say the suspects are associated with antifa, a loosely organized movement opposing fascism and far-right extremism. President Donald Trump designated antifa a domestic terrorist organization in September, despite the lack of a formal organizational structure.