Final federal Prairieland ‘antifa' defendant sentenced to 6 years after helping shooter evade arrest

FORT WORTH, Texas - A woman who helped a protest leader evade arrest after a demonstration spiraled into violence last year at a North Texas immigration facility was sentenced Monday to six years in federal prison.

Susan Kent, 24, did not attend the July 4, 2025 protest. But prosecutors said Kent helped Benjamin Song in the beginning of his 11-day run after he shot an Alvarado police officer, meeting with Song and co-defendants as they strategized his next hiding place.

Kent's punishment was on the low end of sentences given to 15 other federal defendants in the case, the first time terrorism charges have been brought against activists alleged to be part of antifa, a far-left movement with no formal structure or membership.

"I love you and I'm sorry I disappointed and failed you," Kent said tearfully to her loved ones in court.

The Trump administration last year designated antifa a domestic terrorist organization, a move some legal experts have said exceeds presidential authority because federal law provides a designation for foreign but not domestic terror groups.

Kent, of Kennedale, was the final federal defendant to learn their fate in a case that became an early test of the Trump administration's crackdown on far-left political violence and liberal activism as terrorism – raising free speech and First Amendment concerns from civil liberties groups.

In June, seven defendants were sentenced to 30 to 70 years in prison for their roles in the incident, including charges of rioting, providing support to terrorists, concealing documents and conspiracy to use and carry an explosive. Song, who was convicted of the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, received a 100-year sentence.

Seven others on July 1 received a range of 22 months to 50 years in prison, some of whom like Kent were not present at the protest.

'Your worst day'

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, a Trump appointee, said Monday he agreed with the defense's framing of Kent's involvement as peripheral, even more limited than others who didn't attend the protest but aided Song afterward.

Kent had shown up July 5 at the Johnson County jail to look for her then-boyfriend, Seth Sikes, who had been arrested after the protest, said her defense attorney Kara L. Carreras.

Kent joined a group there who had gathered "to figure out what to do with Song," Carreras said. The next day, she met with Song and others in another location, Carreras said, where she helped move blankets and water bottles from one vehicle to another.

Pittman said Kent's guilty plea to one count of providing material support to terrorists, testimony against her co-defendants and the remorse she expressed in an emotional statement at sentencing factored into his decision.

"Remember the old saying," Pittman told a tearful Kent, "You're never as bad as you were on your worst day."

About a dozen protesters dressed in black arrived at the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado late on Independence Day last year, where they set off fireworks and spray-painted a guard shed and vehicles with phrases like "ICE pig." Some had weapons, according to court records.

Defendants have characterized the event as a "noise demonstration" to show support for migrants detained inside the facility. But prosecutors labeled them as a terroristic "antifa cell," short for anti-fascist.

Prosecutors in court filings also pointed to flyers found at the scene reading "Fight ICE Terror with Class War!" and "Free All Political Prisoners." A family member of one defendant sentenced last week called the case "an attempt at silencing dissent."

Prairieland correction officers called for backup after seeing the protesters and fireworks, and Alvarado police Lt. Thomas Gross was the first to arrive. Song and Gross exchanged gunfire, and the lieutenant was shot in the shoulder area but survived. Song fled.

Carreras on Monday said Kent was part of the group that helped Song elude police after the shooting but cast her actions as an attempt to fit in and support her friends. While others purchased disguises for Song or helped harbor him for days, Carreras said Kent did not.

"This is not a pathological criminal here," Carreras said.

Life changed

In a court filing, Kent said she does not consider herself "anti-fascist" but did believe immigration policies and systems need reform.

While Pittman agreed "she's less culpable," he also said the incident could have "easily been an absolute slaughter" with more gun violence than what played out.

Kent cried throughout much of the sentencing hearing as 10 of her friends and family members sat in the courtroom for support. Her father, Ed Kent, declined to comment until the state charges against Kent are resolved.

In an emotional statement, Kent said the experience has changed the way she looks at herself and the world. She apologized to Gross and his family and expressed deep remorse for her role and the way the incident unfolded.

With a degree in linguistics and experience in information technology, Kent said she wants to help others when she returns to society. Pittman ordered her to serve two years of supervised release after her prison term and to pay no restitution. There is no parole for federal crimes.

The case against the Alvarado defendants may be an early indicator of similar prosecutions to come. In June, federal prosecutors charged 15 people in Minnesota with trying to impede the Trump administration's immigration efforts, alleging they were antifa members who conspired against the U.S. government.

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