Historic Terrorism Charges Against Antifa Members for Texas ICE Attack

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas indicted Cameron Arnold, also known as Autumn Hill, and Zachary Evetts on October 15, 2025, marking the first terrorism charges against individuals affiliated with Antifa. The charges include providing material support for terrorism, attempting to murder federal officers, and discharging firearms during attempted murders.

The indictments stem from a coordinated attack on July 4, 2025, at the Prairieland Detention Center, an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas. Eleven suspects, dressed in black military-style clothing, initiated the assault by launching fireworks to draw out correctional officers. Assailants then fired guns from nearby woods, wounding an Alvarado police officer in the neck with a gunshot; a second shooter discharged 20 to 30 rounds at officers. The group spray-painted graffiti such as "traitor" and "ICE pig" on vehicles and a guard structure, left flyers reading "Fight ICE terror with class war," and planted a flag stating "Resist fascism, fight oligarchy." Authorities recovered firearms, ammunition magazines, and 12 sets of body armor from vehicles and the surrounding area.

The suspects belonged to a North Texas Antifa cell with ties to the Elm Fork chapter of the John Brown Gun Club, a decentralized network of armed leftists formed in the mid-2010s and named after abolitionist John Brown. The group emerged during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, focusing on self-defense training and firearms instruction. The Elm Fork chapter disbanded in 2023 after three members were arrested for pepper-spraying conservatives at a rally in Fort Worth, Texas. Suspects included Benjamin Hanil Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist accused of purchasing four guns used in the attack and training others in combat tactics; transgender activists Autumn Hill and Meagan Morris; and others such as Savannah Batten, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Seth Sikes, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto. All eleven initially faced charges of attempted murder of a federal officer, discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and obstruction of justice for concealing evidence.

President Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization in September 2025, enabling the terrorism prosecutions. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges, noting over 20 arrests under new authorities and emphasizing protection for law enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated Antifa is a left-wing terrorist organization and will be prosecuted accordingly.