Trump Crackdown on ‘Terrorist’ Left Notches a Victory in Texas

President Trump won a key victory Friday in a case that tested his efforts to bring explicit political terrorism charges against activists who oppose him.

A Texas jury found eight members of a so-called North Texas “Antifa cell” guilty of material support of terrorism following a July incident in which the group staged a protest outside an ICE detention center. The group allegedly damaged property at the center and set off fireworks; one member, Ben Song, was convicted of attempted murder of a government official for allegedly shooting a police officer.

It was the first time Trump’s DOJ brought terrorism charges against what it called “Antifa,” an ill-defined set of anti-fascist beliefs that the administration considers a threat to national security. Attorney General Pam Bondi clearly explained the meaning of the “Antifa” label in a statement reacting to the verdicts: it is about pursuing aggressive charges against the opposition.

“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been able to thrive in Democratic-run cities – not under President Trump,” Bondi said. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last, as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally puts an end to their violence on America’s streets.”

The case began with prosecutions for the shooting of the officer and damage to government property, according to search warrants obtained by TPM.

But in September, the Trump administration began urging federal law enforcement to investigate and charge activists who opposed it, citing the killing of Charlie Kirk as justification. In a memo, NSPM-7, the White House ordered federal law enforcement to treat ideologies such as “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity” as indicators of “domestic terrorism.” Trump also designated Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization,” a move that has no basis in U.S. law, but still provided a signal to federal law enforcement to prioritize those who might fit a definition of “Antifa.”

A few weeks later, federal prosecutors in Texas upgraded the charges to material support of terrorism. This is a rare use of the law, which was created after 9/11 to combat audacious terrorist plots domestically and internationally.

The Trump administration used this case as part of its domestic efforts to suggest that ICE agents were being attacked by “Antifa” and “domestic terrorists.” Bondi cited the incident in a December memo ordering federal law enforcement to pursue those the White House considers “domestic terrorists.”

But throughout the process, the government has struggled to define what it means by “Antifa.” During the trial, federal prosecutors called Kyle Shideler to help him explain. Shideler is a longtime employee of the Center for Security Policy, designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. Before Shideler began presenting himself as an expert on “Antifa,” he presented himself as an authority on Islamic extremism and the terrorist threat he supposedly represents. Shideler said at trial that prosecutors used the definition of “Antifa” that he provided in the indictment.

The prosecution was criticized in part because of the tenuous connections some defendants had to the main charges, which stemmed from property damage to ICE facilities and the shooting of the officer. Some defendants allegedly did not participate in discussions used to plan the demonstration; Prosecutors linked others to the incident by alleging they created “insurrectionist material called ‘zines’.”

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman for the Northern District of Texas, appointed during Trump’s first term, tried the case. Pittman initially declared a mistrial after a defense attorney questioned jurors while she wore a shirt under her jacket that emblazoned with the faces of civil rights leaders. (Jesse Jackson, a figure in this movement, had died that morning.) Several jurors that day reportedly expressed skepticism about ICE’s activities; Pittman questioned the juror during the second round.

After a 12-day trial, a federal jury found eight of the defendants guilty of material support of terrorism. These eight people were also convicted of rioting and conspiracy to use an explosive. Song, the alleged shooter, was convicted of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and attempted murder of a United States officer. Two defendants were convicted of concealment of a document and conspiracy to conceal.

Four other people accused of attempted murder were acquitted of those charges. The jury acquitted Song of two other counts of attempted murder.