AMY GOODMAN: We end today’s show in Texas, where a federal jury Friday convicted eight anti-ICE protesters on terrorism charges in a closely watched trial that’s raised fears over the Trump administration’s intensifying crackdown on activists and First Amendment rights. This marked the first time terrorism charges were successfully brought against activists by the Justice Department, as federal prosecutors accused the protesters of being members of antifa. The trial focused on a shooting that happened during a protest outside the Prairieland ICE jail in Alvarado, Texas, last year. A total of nine protesters stood trial at a packed Fort Worth courtroom facing an array of federal charges, including attempted murder. The protesters were also indicted on state criminal charges.

For more, we go to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we’re joined by Xavier de Janon, an attorney with the People’s Law Collective and the National Lawyers Guild, has provided legal assistance to the DFW Support Committee, a coalition that’s assisting over a dozen activists who were arrested at the Prairieland protest last July. He represents one of the defendants, Elizabeth Soto, in the state case. Soto and seven others involved in the Prairieland protests were convicted Friday on federal terrorism and other charges.

Thank you so much for being with us, Xavier. If you can start off by explaining what happened that day and what these charges are that these eight protesters were convicted of, and what they face?

XAVIER DE JANON: Good morning. Yes, happy to be here and to be able to give more information.

I think, after the trial, that I was able to see in some — in some weeks, I wanted to present what happened, based on some of the protesters’ perspective. I mean, what happened on July 4th, 2025, was a noise demonstration. And we heard during the trial that if you were someone, you know, who was interested in immigrant justice, in immigrant rights in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and you happened to join a very large Signal group chat that had political announcements, events and rallies and so on, you would have found out about the noise demonstration on July 4th, 2025. And if you decided to go, you would have been there with other activists, protesters —

AMY GOODMAN: Xavier, just to be clear, you’re talking about a noise protest?

XAVIER DE JANON: Yes, a noise demonstration. A noise demo is a very common type of protest that happens outside of prisons and jails. And usually they happen in loud days — right? — Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve. And what people do outside is just literally noise. The purpose is to get people inside to remember that they’re not forgotten, that they are seen, that they are heard. And that is what was happening on July 4th. There was a flyer: “Noise demonstration. Come. Make Noise.”

What was different is that there were fireworks. And for me, this isn’t so uncommon. I have seen noise demos across the country that also feature fireworks. But it was after the fireworks were shot that — around the facility, that the people inside, the wardens, called 911. The fireworks did not damage anything. This was very clear on trial. The fireworks did not even hit any fence, any part of the buildings. It was raining that day.

But, unfortunately, as people were leaving — that was seen on the videos, we heard from the officers — people were leaving as the police was arriving. One of the — the first arriving officer from Alvarado Police Department got off his car, drew his firearm at some of the protesters, and then shots were fired in his direction, and then the officer shot back. So, what happened was a noise demonstration that anyone could have gone to, and, unfortunately, shots fired back and forth after the officer drew his firearm.

The charges, unfortunately, were not only material support for terrorism. They were riot. They were using explosives in the commission of a felony, the fireworks, and then a range of attempted murder charges, which, of all those charges, only one person was found guilty, the person alleged to have shot the rifle.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Xavier, could you talk about the federal prosecutors’ attempt to accuse all of the protesters of being part of antifa?

XAVIER DE JANON: Yes. So, what we heard from the federal government since July 4th, 2025, is descriptions that are similar to what we’re hearing in Minneapolis, in Chicago, in Los Angeles, in Portland and now in Vermont, that people who are standing up for immigrants are terrorists, are antifa, are masked villains, are wearing black to be disguised and never been found. During the trial, we heard repeatedly the reference to something they call the “North Texas Antifa Cell.” The Department of Justice still says this is a thing. But then we heard from cooperating defendants explaining that no such thing exists, that they didn’t even know that they were a part of antifa to begin with, as the government alleges.

So, this case, although it is the federal government’s first successful antifa trial, it actually didn’t even need antifa to have any convictions. The convictions — riot, material support for terrorism, attempted murder, use of explosives — don’t even need an organization, or that there is even a terrorist organization. The antifa of it all, from my perspective, was purely political. And we saw that from the so-called expert that the government used.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And we have only a minute, but could you talk about some of the witnesses for the prosecution and their connections to right-wing organizations?

XAVIER DE JANON: Yes. So, really, the biggest witness that the prosecution presented was Kyle Shideler, I believe is his last name. And he was presented as the expert on antifa for the government. He actually works for a think tank that has been considered a hate group. And the director of that think tank has been exposed as being Islamophobic and having all these very right-wing, very conservative beliefs. This person got on the stand, and he actually admitted that he helped write the indictment for the federal government. So, the so-called expert on antifa, which even the judge wasn’t impressed about, was also the one who wrote this antifa indictment for the federal government.

I mean, beside him, we had dozens and dozens of officers from every imaginable agency — FBI, ATF Alvarado Police, Johnson County, other towns’ police — all called on the scene after the shooting occurred after the July 4th noise demonstration.

AMY GOODMAN: Xavier, we just have 15 seconds. What happens next? They’ve been convicted of terrorism, eight of these protesters, facing at least 15 years in jail each?

XAVIER DE JANON: Yes. What’s next is that the fight continues. There will be post-trial motions. There will likely be appeals. And as you mentioned, there are a lot of state cases that are still pending, not just for these defendants, but for other defendants that never had federal charges from the same event. And so, the battle will go on in North Texas. And hopefully, more people can support these supporters through their own resources, through attorney connections.

AMY GOODMAN: Xavier, we’re going to have to leave it there. Xavier de Janon, attorney with the People’s Law Collective and National Lawyers Guild.

That does it for our show. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, for another edition of Democracy Now!