Biography
Benjamin Song, also known as Champagne, was the only defendant convicted of attempted murder in the Prairieland Detention Center case. The federal jury found him guilty on March 13, 2026 of attempted murder of officers and employees of the United States and three counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. On June 23, 2026 he was sentenced to 100 years in federal prison, the longest term of any defendant in the case.
On July 4, 2025, a group of demonstrators gathered outside the Prairieland Detention Center, an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. During the protest, fireworks were set off and an Alvarado police officer was shot and wounded. Federal prosecutors charged the participants as members of a "North Texas Antifa Cell" — the first time the Department of Justice has brought terrorism-related charges in connection with alleged antifa activity. After a 12-day federal trial in Fort Worth, a jury returned guilty verdicts on March 13, 2026. Sentencing took place on June 23, 2026.
