{"id":2569988,"date":"2026-02-14T12:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-judge-hands-doj-win-in-historic-antifa-terrorism-trial\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T12:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:20:16","slug":"trump-judge-hands-doj-win-in-historic-antifa-terrorism-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-judge-hands-doj-win-in-historic-antifa-terrorism-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Judge Hands DOJ Win in Historic Antifa Terrorism Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-judge-hands-doj-win-in-historic-antifa-terrorism-trial%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569988&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected attorneys\u2019 motions to suppress evidence in an upcoming Texas terrorism trial centered on Antifa, granting prosecutors a victory. Defendants Cameron Arnold, Elizabeth Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada had sought to exclude a co-defendant\u2019s statements and all evidence obtained from certain home searches tied to a July 2025 shooting at an immigration facility in Alvarado, Texas, but the court denied those requests. The ruling allows the DOJ to present extensive evidence about a self-described Antifa terror cell involved in the attack.<\/p>\n<p>The defendants are part of a group of nine facing riot, terrorism, attempted murder, firearm, explosive, and evidence-tampering charges, with the trial set for Tuesday. Arnold and Soto are accused of helping orchestrate the riot, while Sanchez Estrada is charged with hiding evidence. Prosecutors say the group organized travel to the ICE building with ringleader Benjamin Song, vandalized the building, hurled fireworks to draw police, and aided Song after he fired at an officer, helping him hide for days.<\/p>\n<p>The case is notable as potentially America\u2019s first trial explicitly treating Antifa as a terrorist institution, based on a DOJ indictment and related statements. Along with the nine defendants going to trial, seven federal defendants previously pleaded guilty to Antifa-related offenses, with others charged by Texas officials.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected attorneys&rsquo; motions to suppress mounds of evidence on Tuesday in an upcoming Texas terrorism trial centered around Antifa, granting prosecutors a victory.<\/p>\n<p>Defendants Cameron Arnold, Elizabeth Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada wanted to <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/177118312257.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">exclude<\/a> a co-defendant&rsquo;s statements and &ldquo;all&rdquo; evidence that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-shows-dem-congresswoman-val-demings-applauding-notorious-left-wing-conspiracy-theorist\/\" title=\"Video Shows Dem Congresswoman Val Demings Applauding Notorious Left Wing Conspiracy Theorist\">law enforcement obtained<\/a> from certain <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gov.uscourts.txnd_.410488.195.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">home<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DenyingMotions.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">searches<\/a> while investigating a July 2025 shooting at an immigration facility in Alvarado, Texas, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >court documents show<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fjc.gov\/history\/judges\/pittman-mark-timothy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman<\/a> rejected all three motions, paving the way for the Department of Justice to show jurors extensive evidence surrounding a self-described Antifa terror cell involved in the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Attorneys for Arnold, Soto, and Sanchez Estrada did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation&rsquo;s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>They belong to a group of nine defendants facing a range of riot, terrorism, attempted murder, firearm, explosive, and evidence tampering charges in a d trial that is set for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/71664415\/united-states-v-arnold\/?order_by=desc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tuesday<\/a>, court records show. Arnold and Soto are accused of helping to orchestrate the riot, while Sanchez Estrada is charged with hiding evidence in the probe, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TexasAntifaSupersedingIndictment.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an indictment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ said the group organized travel to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building with alleged ringleader Benjamin Song, began vandalizing it and throwing fireworks to draw police out, tried to flee after Song fired shots at a local officer, and helped him hide as a fugitive for days.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Soto&rsquo;s wide-ranging court motion claimed that officials had no probable cause to search her residence despite having <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gov.uscourts.txnd_.410488.195.2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-ca-gov-overstepped-his-authority-with-covid-order-issues-permanent-injunction-restraining-newsom-from-further-issuing-unconstitutional-orders\/\" title=\"Judge Rules CA Gov Overstepped His Authority with Covid Order, Issues Permanent Injunction Restraining Newsom From Further Issuing Unconstitutional Orders\">judge&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s approval<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Her lawyer asked Judge Pittman to suppress &ldquo;all physical evidence including, but not limited to, firearms, ammunition, printing devices, laptops, notes, cell phones, pamphlets, knives, identification, documentation, radios, tablets, [and] storage devices&rdquo; taken in the search. The attorney also asked to exclude law enforcement testimony and several other forms of evidence stemming from the search.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-legal-team-denies-democrats-request-for-him-to-testify\/\" title=\"President Trump legal team denies Democrats\u2019 request for him to testify\">upcoming trial<\/a> will be America&rsquo;s first-ever trial explicitly treating Antifa as a terrorist organization. In an October <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AntifaIndictment.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indictment<\/a>, the DOJ described Antifa as &ldquo;a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-brings-terrorism-charges-against-militant-antifa-cell\/\" title=\"... Brings ... Charges Against &#039;Militant&#039; ... Cell\">militant enterprise made<\/a> 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.&rdquo; The document echoed wording from a September White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/09\/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">executive order<\/a> on the issue.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the nine facing trial, seven federal defendants pleaded guilty while admitting to belonging to an Antifa terror cell and assisting its crimes related to the anti-ICE ambush, the DCNF previously reported. Others were charged by Texas officials in the case.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Trump-appointed federal judge, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, on Tuesday denied defense motions to suppress evidence in a Texas terrorism case linked to Antifa, giving prosecutors a win. The motions from defendants Cameron Arnold, Elizabeth Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada sought to exclude a co-defendant\u2019s statements and all evidence obtained from certain home searches during the investigation of a July 2025 shooting at an immigration facility in Alvarado, Texas. Pittman rejected them, allowing the Department of Justice to present extensive evidence about what it describes as an Antifa \u201cterror cell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The defendants\u2014part of a group of nine facing riot, terrorism, attempted murder, firearm, explosive, and evidence-tampering charges\u2014face a trial set to begin next week. Arnold and Soto allegedly helped organize the riot, while Sanchez Estrada is charged with concealing evidence. DOJ prosecutors say the group traveled to the ICE building with alleged ringleader Benjamin Song, vandalized the facility, and threw fireworks to draw police out; after Song fired at a local officer, the group tried to flee and helped him hide for days.<\/p>\n<p>Soto\u2019s motion argued there was no probable cause to search her residence and sought to suppress all physical evidence obtained during the search, including weapons, devices, laptops, and various other materials, as well as certain testimony and other evidence derived from the search. The case is notable as possibly the first U.S. trial explicitly treating Antifa as a terrorist organization, with DOJ indictments describing Antifa as a militant network aiming to overthrow the U.S. government and law enforcement, echoing language from a White House executive order. Beyond the nine defendants facing trial, seven federal defendants had already pled guilty, admitting membership in the Antifa cell and assistance in related crimes tied to the anti-ICE ambush, while additional defendants were charged by Texas authorities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2569989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-13T182121.409.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7076,50433,3634],"class_list":["post-2569988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-doj","tag-judge-2","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-13T182121.409.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569992,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569988\/revisions\/2569992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}