The exterior of the Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas, seen during the Prairieland protest trial on March 9, 2026. Photo: Matt Sledge/The Intercept Federal agents raiding the home of two alleged antifa “operatives” seized a telling piece of evidence, a defense attorney said during closing arguments in a landmark trial Wednesday.
A printing press.
That printing press was never presented to jurors. Still, the government has kept it locked away because it hated the pamphlets and zines it published, lawyer Blake Burns said.
Burns represents Elizabeth Soto, one of nine defendants whose fates were in the hands of jurors as deliberations began Thursday. All are accused of roles during or after a late-night noise demonstration outside Prairieland Detention Center, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Dallas that ended with a local police officer wounded by gunfire.
The case has become a bellwether for the Trump administration’s crackdown on dissent from the left. The government charged people involved with the anti-ICE protest with a slew of charges, including attempted murder and terrorism counts that defense attorneys said are being used to criminalize protest.
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black Why you never see bright colors on my back And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he’s a victim of the times I wear the black for those who’ve never read Or listened to the words that Jesus said About the road to happiness through love and charity
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back Up front there ought to be a man in black
Trump: He’s a terrorist. Lock him up and throw away the key.
Well obviously he’s a terrorist, he implied that prisoners are capable of having paid for their crime /s