The attack by the far-left activists comes as federal authorities warn that ICE officers are facing a dramatic increase in threats and assaults.

Shortly after the shooting and an ensuing foot chase on Friday, authorities arrested Cameron James Arnold, of Dallas; Savannah Sue Batten, of Fort Worth; Nathan Josiah Baumann, of College Station; Zachary Jared Evetts, of Waxahachie; Joy Abigail Gibson, of Dallas; Bradford Winston Morris, of Dallas; Maricela Rueda, of Fort Worth; Seth Edison Sikes, of Kennedale; Elizabeth Andrea Soto, of Fort Worth; and Ines Houston Soto, of Fort Worth.

Each individual is federally charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal officers and three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.

In addition to the federal offense, they face local charges of terrorism and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant or peace officer. All of the suspects were booked into Johnson County Jail on $10 million bond, according to inmate records reviewed by the Washington Examiner.

Online mobilization

Antifa-aligned activist networks are raising funds for the suspects on GiveSendGo. So far, the GiveSendGo campaign created by the so-called “DFW Support Committee” has collected more than $8,400 in contributions from anonymous donors, working toward a $20,000 goal.

Translated into English and Spanish, a description for the fundraising effort says the charges against the co-defendants are aimed at “ruining their lives” and “signalling [sic] an authoritarian criminalization of dissent and protest against ICE.”

‘STUPID PEOPLE’ WHO ATTACKED ICE AGENTS ARE BACKED BY LEFT-WING MONEY: TRUMP

The legal defense fund will cover attorney fees and living expenses “for all those facing repression connected to the protest at the Prairieland Detention Center,” including costs such as child support and rent.

On X, leftist activists are praising the Alvarado ambush and encouraging others to carry out similar attacks.

Federal response

According to federal authorities, ICE officers face a 700% increase in assaults, as anti-deportation uprisings persist across the country and far-left agitators continue to incite violence against U.S. immigration officials.

“This escalation in violence is incomprehensible, and those responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “This is precisely what we have been warning against, as disinformation and dangerous politically-motivated rhetoric spreads.”

In a U.S. Department of Justice press release announcing the federal charges, acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson said, “This increasing trend of violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”

TEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN ‘PLANNED AMBUSH’ OF ICE OFFICERS AT ALVARADO FACILITY

When asked if the FBI is focusing more on investigating antifa militancy, its public affairs office told the Washington Examiner that the agency is continuously analyzing the threat landscape and allocating resources and personnel in alignment with those assessments and the investigative needs of the bureau.

“We make adjustments and changes based on many factors and remain flexible as various needs arise,” the bureau said. “The FBI’s role in and dedication to investigating terrorism, both domestically and internationally, has not changed.”

On whether the agency will pursue antifa as an organization, the bureau said, “The FBI is focused on individuals who commit violence and criminal activity that constitutes a federal crime or poses a threat to national security. We do not investigate groups or membership in groups but focus on the criminal activity of individuals.”

An organized attack

On the night of July 4, nearly a dozen black-clad assailants equipped with tactical gear allegedly descended on the Prairieland Detention Facility, an ICE lock-up center located about 40 miles southwest of Dallas. In an apparent ploy to lure out ICE officers, the group allegedly launched fireworks toward the facility, designed to hold over 700 detainees awaiting deportation proceedings, and then vandalized vehicles parked in the adjacent lot.

Around 11:00 p.m. that night, two unarmed correctional officers contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security emerged and attempted to talk to the vandals, per probable cause statements, after placing a 911 call for help from local police. Meanwhile, authorities said an individual wearing a green mask across the street appeared to signal toward the vandals with a flashlight.

Moments later, an Alvarado Police Department officer arrived in response to the 911 report of suspicious activity. Immediately after the APD officer exited his vehicle, a suspect stationed in the woods opened fire and shot the officer in the neck area, charging documents say, and the masked individual also started shooting at the DHS-contracted correctional officers, firing off approximately 20 to 30 rounds.

Seven of the suspects allegedly tried to flee on foot but were apprehended close to the crime scene. “Baumann was wet and his clothing was covered with burs, indicating that he had been crawling around in the woods,” the complaint reads. According to the allegations, Evetts was captured three miles away while walking along the highway with a black balaclava mask and other suspicious items among his belongings.

Officials say a Jackson County sheriff’s deputy caught Morris, the suspected driver of the getaway car, at a traffic stop armed with a pistol in plain view. Detectives reportedly recovered two other rifles in the back of the van, ballistic Kevlar vests, and a loaded magazine in his pocket.

Morris, a transgender activist using the moniker “Meagan Elizabeth,” allegedly admitted to meeting the others online and transporting some of them down from Dallas to “make some noise.” Under police interrogation, Morris reportedly admitted to being part of a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging service, and that Morris received an invite to the Signal group years ago after attending a protest.

While searching around the site of the shooting, investigators found several “AR-style rifles,” two-way handheld radios, twelve sets of body armor, and cellphones stuffed inside a Faraday bag, which is a device blocking electromagnetic signals commonly used by criminal actors to prevent police from tracking their location.

Authorities also discovered a flag declaring, “RESIST FASCISM—FIGHT OLIGARCHY,” anti-ICE graffiti spray-painted on surrounding property, and flyers displaying slogans such as “FIGHT ICE TERROR WITH CLASS WAR!” and “FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS.”

An 11th suspect, Daniel Rolando Sanchez, was separately charged at the federal level with evidence tampering and conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

While in jail, Rueda allegedly called Sanchez, asking him to tow her car, which was parked near where Morris lived, and remove any incriminating material from her home. “[W]hatever you need to do, move whatever you need to move at the house,” Rueda told Sanchez, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit.

Based on cellular data, officials believe Morris’s house, which allegedly stored a stockpile of firearms, was the “staging location” for the operation. A day following the attack, authorities found Arnold, who uses the transgender alias “Autumn Hill,” at Morris’s home.

On July 7, an FBI surveillance team observed Sanchez take a box from his truck to an apartment complex. After executing a search warrant on the residence, FBI agents obtained the same box carried by Sanchez, which allegedly contained training documents for planning civil unrest and “anti-government propaganda,” including a pamphlet titled “Organizing for Attack! INSURRECITONARY ANARCHY.” The paraphernalia also allegedly expressed anti-Trump sentiments and discourse on “Insurrectionalism.”

If convicted, the defendants, except for Sanchez, each face a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to life behind bars. Pursuant to federal law, Sanchez could be imprisoned for a maximum of 20 years on the evidence tampering charges.