A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas has indicted two of the 11 individuals charged with the July 4 attack on an ICE detention facility in Prairieland, accusing them of participating in an Antifa terror attack. This marks the first federal indictment to name Antifa—a motley collection of far-left extremists who have waged attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and charge members with terrorism.
**The Indictment**
The seven-count indictment charges Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts with one count of providing material assistance to terrorists, three counts of attempted murder, and three counts of discharging a firearm to further a violent crime. Filed yesterday, the indictment followed President Trump’s designation of Antifa as a terror group.
According to the 12-page indictment, on July 4, members of the Antifa cell fired fireworks at the ICE detention facility in Prairieland. This provoked DHS correctional officers to investigate outside the facility.
“Within minutes, an officer from the Alvarado Police Department arrived on scene, stepped out of his cruiser, and began issuing commands to a black-clad figure running towards another black-clad figure holding a rifle,” the indictment states.
One Antifa member identified as Arnold reportedly yelled, “get to the rifles.” Seconds later, Arnold opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck area. Unarmed correctional officers took cover as the wounded officer fell to the ground but was able to return fire. Arnold continued firing additional rounds until his rifle jammed, after which the attackers fled the scene.
Following the attack, police arrested 10 cell members, including Arnold and Evetts. Among those arrested was former Marine Benjamin Hanil Song, raising concerns about possible Antifa infiltration into the military.
**About Antifa**
The indictment also provides insight into Antifa’s operations. It describes Antifa as “a militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to a revolutionary anarchist or autonomous Marxist ideology, which explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law.”
Antifa adherents have promoted insurrection and advocated violence to influence U.S. government policy through intimidation and coercion. Starting in 2025, they increasingly targeted DHS agents and facilities, including ICE, opposing deportation actions and immigration policies.
Within the Antifa cell, Arnold was viewed as a leader. He trained members on firearms use and close-quarters combat, and the group possessed more than 50 firearms purchased in Dallas, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, and other locations.
Arnold is alleged to have bought and built numerous AR-platform rifles, distributing some to his codefendants. At least one rifle featured a binary trigger—a device that allows the firearm to fire more rapidly by firing two bullets per trigger pull. This weapon was used during the attack.
The cell was also technologically sophisticated, using encrypted messaging applications to coordinate the assault.
**The Plan**
The indictment alleges that the cell planned to destroy U.S. government property and carry out acts dangerous to human life to influence government policy and intimidate officials.
One member stated in an encrypted chat, “I’m done with peaceful protests,” and “Blue lives don’t matter.” The cell scouted the site before the attack, noting security camera locations and nearby police stations.
The attack was a well-planned military operation that included firearms, fireworks, and medical kits. One member mentioned in a chat that they would bring a wagon to carry armor and rifles. Arnold encouraged use of rifles to intimidate law enforcement, stating, “Cops are not trained or equipped for more than one rifle so it tends to make them back off.”
The militants dressed in the classic Antifa black bloc uniform during the attack.
**Charges and Terror Group Designation**
Arnold and Evetts have been charged with providing material aid to terrorists, three counts of attempted murder of a federal agent, and three counts of discharging a firearm to commit a violent crime.
President Trump formally designated Antifa as a terror organization on September 22, describing it as a “terrorist threat.” In his statement, Trump noted that Antifa openly calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government, law enforcement authorities, and the legal system.
He wrote that Antifa uses illegal means to organize and execute nationwide violence and terrorism, including armed standoffs with law enforcement, riots, violent assaults on ICE and other officers, and intimidation tactics such as doxing political figures and activists.
According to Trump, Antifa recruits, trains, and radicalizes young Americans to engage in this violence and suppress lawful political activity, employing sophisticated methods to conceal operatives’ identities, funding sources, and operations to frustrate law enforcement and recruit members.
Antifa operatives also coordinate with other organizations to spread and advance political violence and suppress lawful political speech—a coordinated effort that qualifies as domestic terrorism.
**Public Reactions**
The designation has alarmed pro-Antifa Democrats, far-left media outlets critical of Trump, and some conservatives. Critics falsely claim that “Antifa is largely thought of as more of an ideology than an organized group,” as CNN reported following the indictment.
Some Democrats, including retiring far-left U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler of New York, have even claimed that Antifa does not exist and is “a myth.”
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This federal indictment and the terror designation underscore the U.S. government’s increasing focus on Antifa as a coordinated violent extremist threat, holding members accountable under terrorism laws for attacks like the one at the Prairieland ICE facility.
https://thenewamerican.com/us/crime/doj-indicts-two-as-antifa-terrorists-in-attack-on-ice-facility-in-texas/