The First Jail Sentences in
Trump’s NSPM-7 Crackdown
The Intercept
(June 10, 2026) — Anti-ICE activists convicted of “providing material support to terrorists” for wearing all black to a protest in Prairieland, Texas, are now facing a June 23 sentencing that could land them up to 60 years in prison.
The Intercept has exposed serious holes in the prosecution’s case, and our lawyers are demanding that local authorities hand over additional documents before sentencing in case any vital evidence exists that hasn’t yet come to light.
However, local authorities are dragging their feet in this public records fight, and it’s already costing us significant staff time and money.
The Prairieland convictions set a number of grim precedents for an administration that has been charging left-wing activists on thin, unconstitutional charges since Inauguration Day 2017, when over 200 protesters were mass arrested and charged with hefty riot and conspiracy felonies.
It’s the first successful effort in court to paint First Amendment-protected protest activity as not only criminal but also terroristic; the first time federal terrorism charges have been deployed in association with the “antifa” label; and the first time the Trump government’s collective guilt strategy won in court.
The prosecution’s case was extraordinarily weak. All they really proved was that the activists, some of whom knew each other, planned and attended a late-night demonstration outside an ICE facility during which certain illegal acts took place.
Now some of these protesters are facing up to 60 years in prison — and as soon as the convictions were handed down, the Justice Department issued a statement pledging that “today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last.”
There’s no bigger reporting priority for The Intercept right now than exposing the Trump administration’s assault on free speech, and as a nonprofit news outlet, we count on your donations to help power everything we do.
