10 charged with attempted murder in ‘ambush’ at Texas ICE detention center

July 8 (UPI) — Federal prosecutors in Texas have charged 10 people with attempted murder following what they called an “ambush” of law enforcement late Friday outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.

The charges were announced Monday during a press conference. The identities of the 10 suspects were not made public.

Authorities alleged the suspects conspired to create a disturbance outside the Prairieland Detention Center, in Alvarado, located about 40 miles southwest of Dallas, in order to lure ICE personnel outside the facility where they could shoot and kill them. A number of shots were fired and an Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck.

Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson for the Northern District of Texas said each has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

If convicted, they each face a mandatory sentence of 10 years to life behind bars.

An 11th suspect also faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence in connection with the attack.

“We want to tell everyone out there, this will not be tolerated,” Larson said. “Those who use violence against law enforcement officers will be found and they will be prosecuted with the toughest criminal statutes and penalties that we have available to us.”

The incident occurred shortly before 11 p.m. CDT Friday outside the Prairieland Detention Center.

Larson alleges 10 to 12 people dressed in black, military-style clothing began shooting fireworks and vandalizing vehicles and graffitied the facility to draw ICE personnel outside.

When an Alvarado police officer arrived on the scene, one of the suspects is alleged to have opened fire, wounding the unidentified responder in the neck. Another suspect shot between 20 and 30 rounds at unarmed corrections officers who exited the facility.

The suspects fled the scene but were later arrested during traffic stops, Larson said, adding they were found in possession of 12 sets of body armor, spray paint and a flag that said “resist fascism, fight oligarchy” as well as flyers stating “fight ICE terror with class war” and “free all political prisoners.”

Over the weekend, officers executing search warrants discovered masks, goggles, tactical gloves, a cache of weapons and what Larson called “insurrectionist material.”

“Let’s discuss this incident: It was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers,” she said. “Make no mistake, this was not a so-called peaceful protest. It was, indeed, an ambush.”

No employees at the correction facility were injured.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has said the injured officer was flown to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, where they were treated and released.

The incident comes as there have been several mostly peaceful protests against the Trump administration and its crackdown on immigration.

However, last month, President Donald Trump deployed thousands of members of the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell the demonstrations and to protect ICE agents performing immigration arrests.