What do you call 12 Antifa radicals in body armor?

Since the 1990s, federal agencies and the media have fed Americans a steady diet of panic about shadowy “right-wing militias” — usually ex-military guys obsessed with guns and ready to wage war against the government at a moment’s notice.

The panic went into overdrive after January 6, 2021. But now, in a staggering act of projection, the threat they’ve spent decades warning about has arrived — only it’s coming from the radical left. And still, the feds insist on looking the wrong way.

Antifa cells are evolving. They’re abandoning mass protest tactics for small-cell terror and direct action.

Despite years of breathless rhetoric, the supposed wave of “right-wing terrorism” never materialized. Jan. 6 was a chaotic security failure, not an insurrection. Most of the defendants were unarmed. Many walked through open rope lines. And yet the regime has used that day to smear millions of Americans and justify years of political prosecutions.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently called Jan. 6 “the culmination of a sustained effort to undermine our democracy.” But what sustained effort? Four years later, no mass violence, no uprisings. Nothing at all.

Now, compare that to what we’re seeing from the radical left.

Ambush in Alvarado

After months of threatening Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Antifa terrorists launched a coordinated attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas. This wasn’t a protest gone wrong. This was a planned ambush.

At least 11 people, dressed in black tactical gear, carried out the assault. First, they fired fireworks at the building, vandalized security cameras, and sprayed graffiti, including “ICE pig,” “traitor,” and other profanities on vehicles. The goal was to draw agents outside.

When two unarmed officers responded, one assailant opened fire from nearby woods, shooting a police officer in the neck. Another attacker, wearing a green mask, sprayed 20 to 30 rounds at the agents.

Authorities arrested 11 suspects. Ten were charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and firearms charges. One was charged with obstruction of justice. Police recovered AR-style rifles (one jammed), body armor, Kevlar vests, helmets, tactical gloves, radios, and Faraday bags to block phone signals.

Andy Ngo linked the attackers to an Antifa cell in Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s a miracle they failed. But what should alarm us is their level of funding, coordination, and willingness to kill.

Just the beginning

On Thursday, during a raid in Camarillo, California, ICE agents again came under fire. There's a pattern forming, and it isn’t isolated.

The same ideology — radical leftism, anti-Americanism, Marxism, anti-Zionism — is fueling a wave of political violence that dwarfs anything seen on the right. Consider the past eight months:

• Assassination of United Healthcare CEO (Dec. 4): Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan. His manifesto raged against the health care industry. Left-wing voices lionized him. Some disturbing polling shows young Democrats were more likely to condone the killing.
• Double murder of Israeli embassy staff (May 21): Elias Rodriguez allegedly killed two staffers in D.C., shouting “Free Palestine.” He left a manifesto called “Escalate for Gaza: Bring the War Home.” He had ties to the China-linked Party for Socialism and Liberation.
• Molotov attack at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado (June 1): Mohamed Soliman, an Egyptian national in the U.S. illegally, allegedly attacked demonstrators with a homemade flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. One victim later died. Soliman had reportedly planned the assault for a year.
• Firebombing of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home (D-Pa.) (April 13): Cody Balmer allegedly launched a Molotov cocktail into the Pennsylvania governor’s house during Passover. Shapiro, a rare pro-Israel Democrat, was targeted for his stance on Israel. His family was inside.
• Attack on Atlanta police facility (March 6): A left-wing mob assaulted the Public Safety Training Center with rocks, bricks, and firebombs. Some were charged with domestic terrorism.
• ICE facility attack in Portland (June 18): Rioters used fireworks and pushed dumpsters toward the facility. ICE responded with nonlethal force. Over 20 were arrested. Many were tied to the same Chinese-linked PSL network.
• Shooting at No Kings protest in Salt Lake City (June 14): In a murky incident of left-on-left violence, Antifa-style “safety volunteers” shot and killed a bystander after reportedly misidentifying an armed protester.
• Bomb-maker arrested in West Chester, Pennsylvania (June 14): Kevin Krebs was allegedly found with 13 pipe bombs, 3D-printed gun parts, 21 handguns, tactical gear, and an AR-15. He was arrested at a No Kings protest. He remains held without bail.
• Attacks on Tesla and GOP offices (January-April, 2025): As Musk joined the Trump administration, Tesla sites nationwide were firebombed and vandalized. One self-described “queer” activist torched both a dealership and a Republican Party office in Albuquerque.

What we’re really dealing with

Not all these incidents were organized by the same groups. But together, they show a dangerous trend: increasing sophistication, coordination, and lethality among left-wing militants.

This isn’t just protest culture gone too far. It’s a movement gearing up for war. They’re training. They’re arming. They’re radicalizing online and in activist spaces. And while conservatives have long viewed themselves as the only side armed, that’s no longer true.

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Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

Groups like the Socialist Rifle Association and the John Brown Gun Club are producing radicals like Benjamin Song, a former Marine and the suspected ringleader of the July 4 ICE ambush.

Antifa cells are evolving. They’re abandoning mass protest tactics for small-cell terror and direct action.

What needs to happen now

Step one: Designate Antifa and its associated groups as domestic terrorist organizations. Trace their funding. Investigate every affiliated cell, especially those connected to the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Step two: Ramp up law enforcement. Federal agents need to respond to ICE attacks with overwhelming force. Nonlethal crowd control won’t cut it.

Step three: Empower states. Legislatures should pass laws imposing serious penalties on those who interfere with immigration enforcement. If the feds won’t punish them, the states must.

Step four: Citizens must get serious. Stay armed. Stay trained. Sheriffs should follow the lead of Pinal County’s Mark Lamb and form citizen posses. It’s past time for more robust local defense.

The projection is over

For years, the corporate media and activist left warned you about “armed insurrectionists.” They told you the militia movement was coming. They said America would face domestic political terror.

Well, they were right.

But it wasn’t coming from where they said. It was coming from them.