Ambush on Texas ICE agents: 10 charged with attempted murder; 'not a peaceful protest', says US attorney

Time of India

a day ago

AP file photo
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal officers involved in immigration enforcement have come under attack in at least two ambush incidents recently in Texas, as per Fox News.
The US Justice Department on Monday announced charges against 10 individuals accused of shooting a police officer in the neck and firing at other correctional officers outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, during a Fourth of July attack.
'Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest,' said Nancy Larson, acting US attorney for the Northern district of Texas. "This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers,' she added, as reported by NBC.
In the attack, the group was dressed in all black, and reportedly started shooting fireworks at the facility which is used by the Department of Homeland Security to detain individuals engaged in immigration violations or awaiting deportation.
The complaint notes that the defendants were "dressed in black, military-style clothing," some were donning body armor, some were armed, and some carried two-way radios.
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The individuals charged are Cameron Arnold, also known as Autumn Hill; Savannah Batten; Nathan Baumann; Zachary Evetts; Joy Gibson; Bradford Morris, also known as Meagan Morris; Maricela Rueda; Seth Sikes; Elizabeth Soto; and Ines Soto. Three of the perpetrators are each charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and with three charges of firing a weapon during, in connection with and in support of a violent crime.
Roughly 10 minutes after gathering at the ICE facility, one or two individuals separated from the main group and began spraying graffiti on vehicles and a guard post in the parking lot, as per the authorities. Photographs included in the criminal complaint, filed in the Northern District of Texas show messages like 'ICE pig' scrawled on the vehicles. Correctional officers informed 911, prompting a response from an Alvarado police officer.
As the officer got out of his vehicle, a suspect hiding in the nearby woods allegedly shot him in the neck, the complaint states Another attacker, wearing a green mask and positioned across the street then allegedly fired 20 to 30 rounds at correctional officers who were unarmed, as they came outside.
The group fled the scene, and sheriff's deputies stopped seven individuals roughly 274 meters from where the officer was shot, as reported by AP.
"The shooting was captured by both CCTV and the APD officer's body-worn camera," the complaint says, as reported by FOX news.
'There was an AR-style rifle found at the scene' that was jammed, said Nancy Larson.
Law enforcement also found a flag that read, 'RESIST FASCISM-FIGHT OLIGARCHY' while flyers stating , "FIGHT ICE TERROR WITH CLASS WAR!" and "FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS," were also found along with spray paint and magazines with ammunition.
'It was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers,' said Nancy Larson, as reported by AP.
The shooting happened three days before another incident on Monday, when a man with an assault rifle opened fire at federal agents and a US Border Patrol facility in McAllen, about 643 kilometers south, injuring a police officer before being shot and killed by authorities, as reported by AP.
The attacker is identified as 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda.
On the fourth of July, four other suspects were arrested for allegedly targeting an ICE facility in Portland Oregon. The accused are Jeremy Andrew Hummel, Andrew Lee Wyatt Marcum, Riley Freeman and Ian Joseph McCarthy.
Freeman, Marcum, and McCarthy appeared in federal court on Monday and were released pending further legal proceedings, according to KATU.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Saturday that the Justice Department was "closely monitoring the attacks on DHS detention facilities in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are coordinating with the USAOs and our law enforcement partners."
Since June, nearly two dozen people have been arrested in association with protests and attacks taking place in an ICE facility in Portland. The shooting comes amid US president Donald Trump ramping up deportations, which are set to accelerate further following the passage of a major spending bill last week.