Eight immigration protesters alleged to have ties to Antifa sentenced to decades in federal prison

Eight protesters who the Justice Department accuses of having ties to Antifa were sentenced on Tuesday to decades in federal prison. 

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who was one of two judges overseeing the trial, said the demonstration wasn't a protest but “an assault on democracy.” He said the need to deter the type of behavior seen at the protest is high. 

The case against the defendants involved a shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center in which a police officer was wounded. Prosecutors called the shooting an act of terrorism, the Associated Press reported. 

Benjamin Song, who was a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, was convicted of firing a gun during the July 4 demonstration. He was sentenced to 100 years in prison. The other defendants received prison terms between 30 and 70 years.