Alvarado ICE facility an 'easy target' for ambush, criminologist says
Details of officer ambush at Alvarado ICE facility
Ten people face charges, including attempted murder of an officer, after a Fourth of July ambush at an ICE detention center in Alvarado left a police officer wounded.
ALVARADO, Texas - Authorities have shared booking photos of nearly a dozen suspects, something somewhat rare in the early stages of a federal investigation.
Images of weapons, tactical gear, and graffiti, as they say, were part of a violent, planned ambush at the ICE detention facility in Alvarado.
Officer "ambush" at Alvarado ICE facility
The backstory:
In Alvarado on July 4, around 10:30 at night, a disturbance outside the ICE Prairieland Detention Center appeared to lure unarmed correctional officers outside.
Investigators are saying a positioned gunman then began firing.
A responding Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck. He is expected to recover.
According to the criminal charging document, "In total, the assailant shot approximately 20 to 30 rounds at the correctional officers."
The federal investigators say the ten suspects were dressed in military black and donned body armor. Some were even covered in mud.
All suspects will face charges, including the attempted murder of an officer.
There is also one charged co-conspirator.
Criminologist on case
What they're saying:
FOX 4’s Dionne Anglin spoke to criminologist Dr. Alex Del Carmen of Tarleton State University for his perspective on the case, which underscores an increase in violence against law enforcement officers in other cities and states, particularly, surrounding immigration.
"One possibility is that they are related, and this is a national-concerted effort to go after first responders, which could always be, and they have not made that connection yet," said Del Carmen.
"The second possibility is that, in fact, this may not be related at all and these are simply copycats. People are getting inspired to do this kind of harm to first responders because they’re reading what’s happening in other states."
Dr. Del Carmen, while insisting many things are clear surrounding the attack, believes an unanswered question is also crucial.
"It would be interesting to know if there’s any type of connection between the suspects and any of the inmates that are being held in that facility as to whether or not they’re trying to plan somebody’s "rescue" or escape from the facility, or they were simply doing it as an easy target they knew how to get to."
Attempted murder suspects
Dig deeper:
The arrest records reveal the individuals were from Fort Worth, Dallas, Kennedale, Waxahachie and College Station.
"They are all over the state. These are not people that were neighbors and decided to get together and cause harm. These were individuals that were located across the state of Texas that had come together in some sort of organized way," said Del Carmen.
- Cameron Arnold of Dallas, Texas (No mugshot available)
- Savanna Batten of Fort Worth, Texas (No mugshot available)
- Nathan Baumann of College Station, Texas
- Zachary Evetts of Waxahachie, Texas
- Joy Gibson of Dallas, Texas
- Bradford Morris of Dallas, Texas (No mugshot available)
- Maricela Rueda of Fort Worth, Texas
- Seth Sikes of Kennedale, Texas
- Elizabeth Soto of Fort Worth, Texas
- Ines Soto of Fort Worth, Texas
If convicted, they could face 10 years to life in prison.
One was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly attempting to conceal and destroy evidence.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a news conference held on July 7, 2025, by several North Texas law enforcement agencies and previous FOX 4 reporting. Additional information with Dr. Alex Del Carmen was provided from an interview conducted by FOX 4's Dionne Anglin.