❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge declared a mistrial in a case involving nine alleged Antifa members accused of ambushing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, defense attorney MarQuetta Clayton, nine alleged Antifa members, and federal prosecutors.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The mistrial was declared on Tuesday in the Northern District of Texas; the alleged ambush occurred on July 4, 2025, at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I don’t know why in the world you would think that’s appropriate.” – Judge Pittman.
🎯IMPACT: A new pool of jurors will be brought in, and the defense attorney may face sanctions for her attire.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman declared a mistrial Tuesday in the Northern District of Texas in the case against nine alleged Antifa members accused of ambushing the Prairieland ICE Detention Center. The decision came before a jury was seated and followed controversy surrounding defense attorney MarQuetta Clayton’s courtroom attire.
Clayton, who represents defendant Maricela Rueda, wore a T-shirt beneath her blazer displaying civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Shirley Chisholm. The shirt also appeared to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson, who had died that same day. Judge Pittman rebuked the choice, stating, “I don’t know why in the world you would think that’s appropriate.”
Tensions also arose during jury selection after Clayton referenced constitutional protest rights and Jackson’s death. During questioning, a portion of the 75 prospective jurors voiced anti-ICE and anti-Trump views, complicating efforts to seat an impartial panel. Pittman dismissed the group and said a new pool of roughly 130 jurors would be summoned the following week.
Federal prosecutors allege the defendants participated in a July 4, 2025, attack on the detention center in Alvarado, accusing members of what they describe as a North Texas Antifa cell of launching fireworks, vandalizing property, and firing at federal officers. An Alvarado police officer responding to the scene was shot in the neck but survived. Authorities have characterized the case as the first federal prosecution treating Antifa as a domestic terrorist group.
Attorney General Pam Bondi recently directed federal law enforcement to examine people linked to Antifa for potential domestic terrorism and tax violations. Separate federal cases have also targeted self-identified Antifa activists on charges ranging from threats against immigration officers to alleged involvement in politically motivated violence.
In explaining his ruling, Pittman compared Clayton’s shirt to a prosecutor wearing overtly political imagery, such as “a prosecutor wearing an ICE pin” or “a shirt with Donald Trump riding an eagle” alongside an ICE flag. He emphasized, “Politics—as prevalent as they are, as divided as they are—don’t have any business here.”
Clayton could face sanctions over the incident as the court prepares to restart the trial with a new jury pool.
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