A group of left-wing militants is facing charges after ambushing officers outside of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on July 4, the latest attack in what’s fast becoming a trend of leftist violence towards federal agents.
The Justice Department filed a complaint Monday against ten defendants for organizing the ambush at an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas on the Fourth of July. Each defendant is being charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime. If convicted, the suspects will face a minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
An eleventh defendant is facing charges for allegedly obstructing of justice and conspiring to destroy evidence related to the ambush. The defendant could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison.
“Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest,” acting U.S. Attorney for north Texas Nancy Larson said in a statement. “This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers.”
Around 11 p.m. on July 4, activists dressed in all black shot fireworks at the ICE facility and vandalized the building and nearby vehicles in an apparent attempt to draw a police response, the criminal complaint alleges. Shortly thereafter, officers responded to a 911 call and an assailant positioned in the woods fired at the officer. Another assailant fired 20 to 30 more rounds at unarmed corrections officers who had attempted to speak to the protesters.
One federal officer was shot in the neck during the ambush. He was subsequently treated at a Fort Worth hospital and released, police said.
“The graffiti had such words as traitor, ice pig, and other profanity,” Larson said at a press conference.
“Then there was a 911 call from the facility. Two unarmed corrections officers went outside to speak with the vandals. One of the gunmen signaled using a flashlight to the vandals.”
The individuals attempted to flee the scene and were later apprehended by law enforcement. Investigators searched the suspects and discovered items with left-wing political slogans on them, including “resist fascism, fight oligarchy” and “fight ICE terror with class war.” They also found masks, goggles, tactical gloves, body armor, spray paint, fireworks, and additional weapons, authorities said.
The July 4 attack is part of a broader trend of left-wing militant committing acts of violence against federal agents to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. A man was killed by officers Monday after he shot at a Border Patrol facility in Texas and wounded three officers.
In Portland, federal prosecutors have charged numerous activists for staging an ongoing, weeks-long occupation of the area surrounding an ICE facility. The demonstrators have been charged with a range of offenses in connection with the occupation, including assaulting a federal officer and creating a hazard on federal property.
Last month, violent riots against ICE occurred in Los Angeles for several days in response to immigration enforcement operations. Protesters obstructed immigration enforcement, blocked traffic, damaged government vehicles, and committed acts of vandalism in the area as local law enforcement became overwhelmed. President Trump mobilized the national guard and sent Marines to the area to quell the violence, over the objections from California Democratic politicians.