A-Infos (en) UK, AFed, Organaise - The future of political freedom in America is on trial in North Texas (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The following is a piece from prairielanddefendants.com. It gives a 
solid run down of the case which has not been getting half as much press 
as it should. It have been something of a rollercoaster and it's impact 
may very well be felt throughout the US and subsequently streets and 
courtrooms around the world. ---- You can find much more information, 
start to end on the above website and we highly reccomend taking the 
time. Support the Prairieland Defendants.
On July 4th, around a dozen people gathered to make a display of noise 
and fireworks to express solidarity with immigrants and ICE detainees 
who face threat of deportation under Trump's sweeping anti-immigration 
crackdown. The state's narrative about what happened that night is 
dubious and full of inconsistencies. After the demonstration, police 
claim that two people exchanged gunfire with correctional officers and 
one Alvarado patrol officer on a nearby street. Subsequently, police 
arrested everyone in the area and the state and feds have charged these 
10 people with terrorism and attempted murder, respectively.

Two days later, an 11th person was arrested after receiving a phone call 
from a loved one in the jail. He was arrested by FBI in Denton, Texas 
with a box of zines in their car. FBI have turned him over to ICE in 
order to jeopardize his green card status. Ongoing raids of several 
other homes across Texas have created hardship for defendants' friends 
and families: agents deployed flashbang grenades, caused extensive 
damage, and detained spouses, family members and housemates without 
cause. In one instance, federal agents tackled the adult child of a 
defendant and put a bag over their head before arresting them and 
transporting them to jail. "I was terrified, I had no idea what was 
going on," the child later said. During this interrogation, agents 
offered this person monetary bribes in exchange for information, which 
of course were refused. Police also attempted to extort them by offering 
to "get rid of a warrant" if they cooperated with the law enforcement 
investigation.

This is a protest case, not a terrorist conspiracy
What happened July 4th was a normal protest, and regardless of what 
transpired that night, it's clear that the scale and aggression of the 
police response is a fear tactic to send a message not only to DFW but 
across the country of how this administration will treat anyone standing 
against their rising authoritarianism.

At this point, 19 people in total have been arrested. This includes 
partners and roommates who likely never set foot in Alvarado. Local 
legal experts explained that normally in this district, a defendant 
facing federal charges will receive a first court appearance within one 
to three days, whereupon appointment of court-appointed counsel, release 
or bail conditions, and next court dates are all addressed.  There has 
been no explanation why these normal practices are not being followed 
regarding these defendants. Meanwhile, the legal proceedings have not 
progressed on either the state or federal charges, leaving the arrestees 
in ongoing detainment and deprivation of their constitutionally 
guaranteed legal representation.

Everyday, Texans face increasing repression by both the federal and 
state governments. Those on the front lines especially are being met 
with this repression despite our constitutional right to protest and 
dissent. Instead of listening to us, the government is arresting 
protestors, creating false narratives about their actions, and wholly 
ignoring their own obligation to due process.

Acknowledging this, we have formed a committee of loved ones, friends 
and comrades of defendants who are committed to supporting them through 
the legal process and have experience with legal support and 
anti-repression organizing.

19 of our loved ones still sit in jail, many of them struggling to 
obtain legal counsel because the public defender assignment process has 
been obstructed by a seemingly deliberate and targeted array of red tape 
and outright denial. The framing of the case by the federal government 
should worry all of us. The glaring inconsistencies in the official 
narrative and the alarmist accusations are a clear attempt to bolster 
the Trump administration's claims that the United States is on the verge 
of chaos, and to excuse a dramatic increase in militarized police 
action. This, in turn, will almost certainly be used to justify sweeping 
expansion of repression not only of popular movements but all political 
activity in opposition to Trump and his regime. As such, what is 
happening to these 17 people should be a concern for anyone who does not 
want to see this country descend further into authoritarianism.

The Trump administration has a consistent record of brazenly lying and 
distorting facts to advance its political narratives. In particular, 
they actively stoke the flames of far-right conspiracy theories that fed 
Trump's rise to power. Time and again these narratives have been proven 
false and dangerous.

These 19 people are some of the first arrested under this unbelievable 
narrative, but we should expect this sort of repression to spread 
further and wider. Trump does not distinguish between these defendants, 
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialists of America, 50501, or anyone 
else standing against him. They are coming for undocumented migrants, 
they are coming for supporters of Palestine, they are coming for anyone 
who objects to ICE's violence.

Anyone standing up against ICE deserves our support
The first months of this administration have been a disaster. People 
have been kidnapped in broad daylight by masked agents and sent to 
hellish prison camps in other countries, with detention centers like 
Prarieland as stopping points along the way. Natural disasters have 
killed hundreds with little warning or care from the government - even 
now we're still trying to count the losses from flooding in Central 
Texas. Decades of advancement in public health have been eviscerated: 
measles killed more children in Texas in the last month than in the last 
30 years. Transgender people are being erased from our society. US-made 
bombs are slaughtering millions around the world. Black and Indigenous 
histories are being scrubbed from official state narratives in an 
attempt to cage the public's imagination, shackle the people, and steal 
the future. The list goes on. People see the nightmare that is 
unfolding, and the state is furiously looking for ways to distract, 
confuse, immobilize, and terrify. In this context, it should be clear 
that these recent criminal charges in Alvarado, Texas, are a dangerous 
and unconscionable stunt in service of this goal.

We are all affected by these disasters already, but criminalization of 
protest means that we risk arrest and worse as the state moves to crush 
everyone under its power.

However, the people of this country will not accept authoritarian rule. 
From the initial waves of protest, resistance and antagonism have 
generalized and deepened. It has involved not only elected officials and 
formal organizations, but more importantly, millions of ordinary people 
taking bold action to protect their communities and reclaim their 
autonomy. This spreading resistance has been met with violent state 
repression such as deployment of active duty military on the streets of 
Los Angeles and the arrest of sitting judges and US senators. Now the 
state is attempting to ruin the lives of 17 people and their communities 
in North Texas. It is clear that this systematic demolition of our 
freedoms cannot be stopped by appeasement and capitulation. Those who 
face this state terror deserve our support, not silence.

We in the DFW Support Committee have no choice but to push forward and 
fight for those we care deeply about who are currently sitting in jail. 
To the rest of you, we call on you to join us in our support. We will be 
releasing future updates and statements about concrete actions people 
can take. The first and most important action today is raising funds so 
that these 17 people have the best legal defense possible.

https://organisemagazine.org.uk/2026/03/11/the-future-of-political-freedom-in-america-is-on-trial-in-north-texas/
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