10 charged over attack on Texas detention center

Ten individuals have been charged with attempted murder for their involvement in an “ambush” at an immigration detention center in Alvarado, Texas, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.

During the late-night attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility last Friday, a police officer was wounded in the neck, according to a department statement.

“Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest,” stated Acting US Attorney Nancy Larson. “This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers.”

ICE has been a key agency in President Donald Trump’s recent campaign to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States.

Acting ICE field office director Josh Johnson affirmed that “violence, threats of violence, and attempts of vandalism at our ICE facilities will not deter our officers at ICE from fulfilling their duties.”

According to a criminal complaint, the assailants, dressed in black military-style clothing, began by shooting fireworks at the ICE facility and spray-painting “Traitor” and “ICE Pig” on cars and a guard structure. When an Alvarado police officer arrived at the scene, he was shot by someone positioned in nearby woods. Another alleged assailant fired 20 to 30 rounds at unarmed correctional officers, the Justice Department stated.

AR-style rifles, body armor, and two-way radios were recovered at the scene. Flyers found at the site proclaimed “Fight ICE Terror With Class War!” and “Free All Political Prisoners.”

The 10 individuals arrested face three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted, they face a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life behind bars.

The Alvarado incident occurred just days before Ryan Louis Mosqueda, 27, armed with an assault rifle, opened fire at a US Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. Mosqueda fired dozens of rounds at the entrance of the Border Patrol annex before being shot dead on Monday, officials reported. Two police officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured, according to the Department of Homeland Security. A motive for the McAllen shooting was not immediately known.