Saturday, July 04, 2026

NLG on the extreme Prairieland sentencing, the Spokane 3, the Delaney Hall protests, anti-Palestinian actions by Treasury, the SPLC + more

The first American Martyrs Day is July 5th – MartyrsDay.us 






Monday, July 6th at 7pm ET; livestreamed at:  www.youtube.com/live/duNtL9P4a9c


www.browne-marshall23.com


Author of A Protest History of the United States – www.beacon.org/A-Protest-History-of-the-United-States-P2145.aspx




July 4th:  "250th Anniversary of U.S. Declaration of Independence 1776 – Actions Across the Country Give True Meaning to 'We the People'" – cpcml.ca/TML2026/TS5605.HTM#1


July 2nd:  "250th Anniversary of U.S. Declaration of Independence 1776 – An Opportunity for Discussion on Modern Definitions" – cpcml.ca/TML2026/TS5604.HTM#1



www.kenklippenstein.com/p/450-years-in-prison-for-saying-anti


thebaffler.com/salvos/the-invention-of-antifa-fadiman




Slightly edited Sent out in late afternoon on July 4th: 


Over 500 Years of Combined Jail Time, 250 Years After the Founding of the U.S.


Dear [ ],


Exactly one year ago, nearly a dozen protesters gathered in solidarity with detainees outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. They were there for a noise demonstration, a common form of protest where people make loud noises to express solidarity with people behind bars. This North Texas U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, like many others across the country, has a track record of inhumane conditions, including freezing temperatures and no beds, as well as those recently reported by Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman detained by ICE for more than a year after participating in protests near Columbia University. 


The Department of Justice wants the world to believe that these protesters were part of a violent terror cell dubbed “antifa.” The Government relied on zines, political rhetoric, and common activist practices as “proof” that the protesters coordinated a planned ambush resulting in an officer being non-fatally shot. 


On Tuesday, June 23rd, a judge sentenced eight federal defendants in the Prairieland case to prison, with the defendants each receiving sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years in federal prison. On July 1st, six more defendants who pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists and one defendant that was convicted were sentenced. Those who took a plea deal face up to 15 years in prison each. The remaining convicted defendant, Ines Soto, received a 50 year sentence as his co-defendants last week. The majority of the defendants still have state charges pending, and one federal defendant who pleaded guilty will have their sentencing on July 6th. Their combined prison time is over 500 years. Some of the defendants have filed Notices of Appeal. All of them except for Des Sanchez are still facing prosecutions in Texas and need attorneys against those charges.


These sentences are collective punishment. The Prairieland Defendants’ extreme sentences are meant to send a message to those protesting ICE and the administration. In a country that still calls itself "the land of the free" 250 years later, these cases stand in stark contradiction. The NLG was the first non-profit to come out questioning the federal government's account and expressed solidarity with these defendants and their families. It will continue being up to us, people of conscience and their movements, to be in solidarity and in community so that we continue putting people and the planet over profits.


In Solidarity,


The NLG National Office

Support the Prairieland Defendants: https://prairielanddefendants.com


Prior NLG Statements on the Prairieland Defendants:







Sent out in early evening on June 24th:


National Lawyers Guild’s Commentary for the Congressional Record of June 9, 2026, Hearing, “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate, Part II”


Dear [ ],


Today, NLG submitted the following statement to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary in condemnation of its attacks against Southern Poverty Law Center:


Pursuant to the 119th Congress Rules of Procedure of the Committee on the Judiciary, the National Lawyers Guild (“NLG”), the nation’s largest and oldest progressive bar association, timely submits the following commentary for the congressional record of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary’s June 9, 2026, hearing, titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate, Part II.” As a non-profit legal organization, the NLG submits this commentary with deep concern about the Legislature’s weaponization of its processes against the constitutionally protected and socially essential work done by another non-profit legal organization, the Southern Poverty Law Center (“SPLC”). 


Public exposure and condemnation of far-right violence is a part of this country’s genealogy. Despite concerted attempts to rewrite our country's history, we affirm that the social, cultural, and political growth of the U.S. has been in large part because of organizations committing to eradicating right-wing extremist ideologies and rebuking their supporters. Like NLG, SPLC has been one of the leading organizations in contemporary times dedicated to this work – and donors proudly fund these efforts. Indeed, for over five decades, SPLC has had a track record of publicly and fearlessly taking on white Christian Nationalist organizations, thereby advancing our collective liberties. 


However, just like the conservative pundits attempting to rewrite histories of chattel slavery and indigenous genocide, this Committee is attempting to rewrite the truth about SPLC’s work. The reality is, without organizations like SPLC, all of us are less safe from the ever-growing threat of white supremacist violence.


Beyond the false accusations themselves, this Committee has engaged in a baseless inquisition through its powerful legislative processes. Reflecting the political motivation of the Committee’s actions, its attacks against SPLC come at the heels of a concurrent federal prosecution. The Government’s dubious indictment is being used as a backdrop for the administration’s right-wing talking points to the media and right-wing blogosphere, including bizarre accusations that SPLC was funding neo-nazis to “grow their violent extremist organizations” and that it was funding false-flag operations. Considering the Department of Justice’s actions, it appears that this Committee’s goal is to muddy the narrative about SPLC and give cover to the Government’s outrageous right-wing efforts.


As an almost 90-year-old legal organization, with its own history of surveillance, interference, and persecution at the hands of the federal government, NLG rebukes the targeted actions of the 119th Congress’ Committee on the Judiciary. We know that the public will not forget the Department of Justice’s attempts to chill organizations like SPLC or the House of Representatives’ wilful abuse of power to enable such chilling efforts. The country is watching as this Committee engages in an anti-democratic playbook by weaponizing the Legislature to lend credibility to the Government’s shaky accusations. 


It is clear that forcing SPLC's leadership in front of Congress is not about justice. It is about political intimidation. 


In condemnation,


Sara Habbo
President-Elect, On behalf of the National Lawyers Guild






Sent out in early evening on June 23rd: 


[Statement] NLG Remains In Solidarity with Prairieland Defendants after Extreme Sentencing


Dear [ ],


Today, eight defendants in the Prairieland case were sentenced to prison, with a combined time of 450 years. Each of the defendants received sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years in federal prison. This a grave injustice and nothing short of malicious political persecution by the federal government. 


On Fourth of July 2025, these brave protesters rallied for a noise demonstration in solidarity with immigrant detainees at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. The Department of Justice wants the world to believe that these protesters were part of a violent terror cell dubbed “antifa.” The Government relied on zines, political rhetoric, and common activist practices as “proof” that the protesters coordinated a planned ambush resulting in an officer being non-fatally shot. 


The U.S., aided by Judge Mark T. Pittman (appointed by President Trump) and Judge Reed O’Connor (appointed by President George W. Bush), has made clear that showing up for immigrant rights and fighting against fascism will result in imprisonment. Anyone who seeks to take action opposing the Trump administration’s atrocities will be targeted, prosecuted, and sentenced to the fullest extent. Indeed, as stated by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, “The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice[.]” Make no mistake: “antifa” is nothing more than a placeholder for “leftist,” a boogeyman created for political goals. 


In a case that has been politicized since the start, it still shocks us to see protesters receive extreme sentences of 30 to 100 years for attending a Fourth of July noise demonstration. The federal government and the state of Texas want us to feel defeated. This case wants to chill dissent and enable the Trump administration to act without accountability for its brutal treatment of immigrant communities. Organizers and community activists must not allow this to stop the important work we are doing. We must continue to protest ICE and fight for our community members’ rights.


The NLG will not be deterred in its commitment to supporting the Prairieland defendants and all communities raising their voices against the federal government’s human rights atrocities.  


Prior NLG Statements on the Prairieland Defendants:







Sent out in late afternoon on June 12th:


[Statement] Spokane Verdict: 1 Year After Neighbors Linked Arms against Illegal ICE Kidnapping


Dear [ ],


On June 11, 2025, ICE agents conducted an illegal kidnapping of two young asylum-seekers in Spokane, Washington. Neighbors, including a former City Council President, linked arms outside the ICE field office, in an act of civil disobedience against the illegal detention of the two immigrants. Hundreds of community members then autonomously showed up in solidarity with all immigrants who have been abducted by ICE. Throughout the day, Spokane residents individually took small actions against the violence of the federal government, as many people have done in this country when breaking news occurs.


In response, the Department of Justice indicted numerous protesters under egregious conspiracy accusations. Some of them plead guilty, but three of them, the Spokane 3, took their cases to trial. After seven days of trial, the jury found the three defendants guilty of varying conspiracy offenses.


The Spokane 3 are still litigating a post-trial Rule 29 motion, requesting that the judge overturn the jury verdict on legal grounds. NLG calls for the correct outcome of this case: the overturn of this federal attack on the right to gather, associate, and speak up.


We cannot normalize the recurring criminalization of anti-government protests. Civil society, legal workers, lawyers, and all those with influence must urgently organize to stand up against the prosecutorial powers of this alarmingly fascist federal government. From the Prairieland cases in North Texas, to the persecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center, to the indictment of protesters at a church in Minneapolis, to the violence against protesters outside of Delaney Hall, we are in a moment of reckoning.


More information on the Spokane 3: www.spokane3support.com






Sent out in early evening on June 11th 


[Statement] NLG Calls for Support to Delaney Hall Immigrant Hunger Strikers and Anti-ICE Protesters


Dear [ ],


The National Lawyers Guild calls for support to the hunger strike led by 300 detained immigrants inside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center, in Newark, New Jersey. The GEO Group-run detention center is accused of inhumane conditions, abuse, and lack of oversight into the treatment of the people inside their detention centers.


Immigrant detention center deaths are at an all time high. At least 32 people died inside of ICE facilities since Trump took office in 2025. This does not include the dozens of pregnant people, who have experienced miscarriages within the facilities due to medical neglect and in some cases disregard. This violence is by design. The current administration has relaxed oversight of these facilities and rarely investigates complaints against them. Departments responsible for looking into abuse at immigrant detention facilities are shut down.


Community members answered the call for solidarity and joined the hunger strikers by protesting outside of the detention center. The state and federal governments’ response was to brutalize protesters on the outside and cut the hunger strikers off from the outside world. So far, over 60 people have been arrested. There are reports of individuals being charged with state-level felonies despite contrary assurances from New Jersey officials. Even after several weeks, protests continue, as does the violent reaction by the police.


This is a continuation of the Trump administration’s violence against pro-immigrant, anti-ICE protesters, as well as anyone who dares oppose their fascist actions against immigrant communities. The administration has gone after anti-ICE protesters in North Texas, and more recently, three protesters were convicted for conspiracy in Spokane, Washington. ICE is also allegedly collecting information on anti-ICE protesters that it encounters.


The NLG continues our calls to abolish ICE, free all immigrants detained in detention centers, and solidarity with all of those arrested defending the rights of immigrants in the U.S..






Sent out in late  morning on May 29th:


[Statement] Statement Condemning OFAC Designation of Four Palestine Solidarity Organizers


Dear [ ],


The National Lawyers Guild condemns in the strongest possible terms the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designation of four Palestinian and international organizers—Saif Abu Keshek, Mohammed Khatib, Jaldia Abubakra, and Hisham Abu Mahfouz—as being affiliated with or providing support to designated “foreign terrorist organizations” for their solidarity with Palestinian national liberation and the Palestinian people.


The sanctions unjustly imposed by OFAC come amidst an ongoing, two-and-a-half-year genocide that has killed, injured, and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed the majority of Gaza’s infrastructure and agricultural land, and marks the latest chapter in over a century of Western imperialist-backed, Zionist settler-colonial ethnic cleansing and dispossession of the Palestinian people. Against this horrific backdrop, the courage and urgency of flotilla activists cannot be overstated. They risked abduction, torture, and death in their attempt to break this illegal, genocidal siege and deliver humanitarian aid. For this act of supreme moral clarity and courage, the United States has chosen to punish them and unjustifiably label the flotilla itself as “pro-terror.”


This latest round of sanctions is not an isolated act. The 2021 Israeli designation of six prominent Palestinian non-governmental organizations as foreign terrorist organizations, and the 2024 OFAC designation of the Palestinian prisoner defense organization Samidoun as a specially designated global terrorist group, were early warnings. Moreover, in January 2026, Zaher Birawi—a member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition Steering Committee—was similarly designated by OFAC, as was the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA).


The roots of this repressive strategy run much deeper. As documented by Palestine Legal and the Center for Constitutional Rights, opposition to Palestinian rights has shaped U.S. federal anti-terrorism law from its very beginnings. The first mention of “terrorism” in a federal statute, in 1969, dealt specifically with restricting humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The first U.S. government terrorism blacklist — the 1979 Export Administration Act — was championed by Israel supporters in Congress, most notably Republican Senator Jacob Javits of New York, who named Iraq, Libya, and South Yemen (all supporters of Palestinian liberation) as likely targets for designation. The first and only time Congress has designated a group a terrorist organization was the 1987 law targeting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Additionally, the 1995 “material support” law, now used to criminalize humanitarian action and solidarity, was crafted with Palestinians as a primary focus. 


This entire legal architecture was built on a foundation of unmistakable and enduring anti-Palestinian animus, long before the post-9/11 era. Just as Samidoun was targeted for its effective defense of Palestinian prisoners, these four activists are now being criminalized for one reason alone: their effectiveness and visibility in mobilizing solidarity against the genocide and in support of Palestinian liberation. The U.S. and Israel fear a popular movement that threatens their domination of the West Asian region — so they resort to suppression through sanctions.


These listings are designed to do more than freeze assets. They are designed to create a chilling effect across the entire Palestine solidarity movement, to criminalize solidarity and direct humanitarian action, and to demonize those who refuse to abandon Palestine. In the context of the current Trump administration and resurgent fascism, all those who oppose U.S. imperialism should be concerned. This weaponization and targeting will not stop with the movement for a liberated Palestine. Indeed, it is being honed for use against the broader anti-imperialist movement — potentially against those who stand in solidarity with Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Alliance of Sahel States. Today, it is the flotilla activists. Tomorrow, it could be any of us.


The ferocity of this crackdown and its timing reveal a deeper truth. The U.S. imperial project is in decline. The forces of U.S.-Zionist imperialism have suffered a serious defeat in their war on Iran, and their resources are stretched thin. They cannot sustain their war of aggression on multiple fronts — and the Palestine solidarity movement has proven itself an effective front. The empire is lashing out to silence the movement precisely because it is winning the battle of ideas and mobilizing the streets of the world.


This repression is unfolding alongside the hijacking of Flotilla boats on the high seas. On the very day these sanctions were announced — May 19, 2026 — the Israeli navy abducted over 430 activists from more than 46 countries, including 25 U.S. citizens, in international waters. Detainees have faced torture, sexual assault, and arbitrary detention. Instead of intervening to protect its citizens and other detainees, the U.S. provided political cover to Israel, sanctioning the victims while Israeli forces fired rubber bullets on unarmed humanitarian vessels. 


We call for justice for all 430+ flotilla activists who were kidnapped, then tortured and humiliated while in Israeli custody — although we know that Palestinian prisoners face far worse treatment in Israeli colonial jails..


We reject the baseless accusation that breaking the siege of Gaza constitutes support for terrorism. The siege is collective punishment — a war crime impacting 2.3 million people. It enables the ongoing genocide. Breaking it is a moral and legal obligation. As former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn stated, “The siege is a crime. Breaking it is not.” 


We stand in full solidarity with Saif, Mohammed, Jaldia, Hisham and all others targeted by these designations on the basis of their principled and courageous stand in solidarity with Palestine and other colonized and oppressed peoples’ liberation struggles. We demand an end to all politically-motivated terrorist lists. We reject the label of “terrorist” being used against Palestine solidarity organizers, including those sailing to break the siege on Gaza and those who call out the U.S. and Israeli governments for committing genocides, waging endless wars, and spreading death and destruction across the globe with virtually  complete impunity. 


National Lawyers Guild


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