Online groups crowdfund for 10 accused of attacking North Texas ICE facility
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- Crowdfunding campaign launched to support 10 accused in ICE facility attack.
- Federal charges include attempted murder, firearm use, and ambush allegations.
- Supporters reject charges as repression, pushing back on $10 million bail total.
A group calling themselves the DFW Support Committee has launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking to help 10 people accused of taking part in a July 4 shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Johnson County.
A campaign page on the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo said the group is made up of, “loved ones, friends and comrades of the defendants who are committed to supporting them through the legal process and have experience with legal support and anti-repression organizing.”
It has also received support from a number of left-leaning groups and social media accounts opposed to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The campaign seeks to raise $20,000 to help cover legal fees and expenses for the 10 defendants. It had raised $12,310 as of 11:04 a.m. on July 7.
“We don’t know all of the circumstances leading to the arrests. We do know that popular outrage and resistance to deportations is growing across the country,” the campaign page said.
The page noted that anti-ICE protesters have a long history of organizing rallies and protests outside of detention centers like the one in Alvarado.
Representatives for the campaign didn’t immediately respond to an email from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.
Federal prosecutors charged the 10 defendants with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime, according to a recently unsealed federal complaint.
Most of the defendants have connections to North Texas, according to the complaint.
The document identifies suspects Maricela Rueda, Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto and Ines Soto as Fort Worth residents, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris, and Joy Gibson as residents of Dallas, Seth Sikes as a resident of Kennedale, Zachary Evetts as a resident of Waxahachie, and Nathan Baumann as hailing from College Station.
An 11th man, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, was identified as a Garland resident, and charged with tampering with evidence in the case in a separate filing, according to court documents.
Federal officials also identified 32-year-old former Marine Corps reservist Benjamin Hanil Song as a 12th suspect Wednesday. The Texas Department of Public Safety added Song to its Most Wanted List Thursday and is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest, in addition to a $25,000 federal reward.
Federal authorities allege the group used fireworks and vandalism to lure ICE personnel out of the Prairieland Detention Facility with the intent to attack and kill them. An Alvarado police officer was shot while responding to the incident.
“Make no mistake — this was not a so-called peaceful protest. It was indeed an ambush,” acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson said at a July 7 press conference.
Two shooters fired 20-30 rounds before fleeing the scene, the complaint states. Investigators recovered multiple guns including an AR-style rifle near the location of one of the suspected shooters, which had apparently jammed, court documents said.
However, groups supporting the suspects have pushed back on the official account arguing it’s part of a larger federal campaign to criminalize dissent.
The fundraising campaign called the $10 million bail amount set for the defendants punitive and committed to fighting what it called bogus charges.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 11:53 AM.
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