In Alvarado, Texas, ten individuals have been arrested on charges of attempted murder following a violent incident outside the Prairieland Detention Center that resulted in a police officer being wounded.
The shooting occurred late on July 4th, when a police officer was shot in the neck shortly after arriving at the facility. The officer was subsequently treated at a local hospital and later released, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s office.
Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, described the incident as a “planned ambush,” involving a group clad in black military-style clothing who initiated the chaos by firing fireworks that damaged vehicles and a guard structure while also emblazoning messages such as “traitor” and “ICE pig” nearby. Larson stated that this behavior appeared intended to lure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel out of the facility, which they successfully did.
Upon exiting the detention center, two unarmed corrections officers were approached by the group, and soon after, an Alvarado police officer who had just arrived was shot by an unidentified suspect positioned in the woods nearby. Additionally, another assailant, located across the street, fired 20 to 30 shots toward the unarmed corrections officers. A jammed AR-style rifle was recovered at the scene, and investigators also found a flag reading “Resist fascism, fight oligarchy,” along with flyers proclaiming “Fight ICE.”
Following the shooting, the suspects fled the area but were intercepted by sheriff’s deputies approximately 300 yards away from where the officer was shot. Several individuals were found wearing body armor, covered in mud, armed, and equipped with two-way radios.
This violent incident transpired amid an escalation of deportations under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has intensified following a recent spending bill aimed at bolstering immigration enforcement.
In a related incident three days later in McAllen, Texas, a man fired dozens of rounds at federal agents and a U.S. Border Patrol facility, injuring a police officer and ultimately being killed by authorities. When asked during a news conference if there were any connections between the McAllen shooting and the events in Alvarado, Larson stated that investigations were ongoing and declined to comment further.
Additional searches conducted in Alvarado led to the discovery of masks, goggles, tactical gloves, extra body armor, weaponry, spray paint, and fireworks—further underscoring the premeditated nature of the attack. Larson explicitly noted that the evidence pointed to an intentional effort to ambush ICE corrections officers with lethal intent.
In response to the shooting, authorities have enacted new protective measures for staff at the Prairieland Detention Center, as stated by Josh Johnson, acting director of the Enforcement and Removal Operations field office in Dallas.
The ten arrested individuals face three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a violent crime. Another individual has been charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence. U.S. District Court records did not list any attorneys representing the accused or provide information regarding scheduled court appearances.
Alvarado is a small community located approximately 30 miles south of Fort Worth, with a population of about 6,225 residents.
image source from：pbs
