A federal jury in Spokane, Washington, has convicted three protesters, including a US army veteran of the war in Afghanistan, on felony conspiracy charges stemming from a June 2025 protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The defendants face up to six years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and are expected to appeal.
Legal experts have described the case as a serious escalation in the Trump administration's attack on First Amendment rights. The defendants have filed a rare motion under rule 29, asking the judge to set aside the verdicts on the grounds that the prosecution's evidence was insufficient. Bajun Mavalwalla, a former army sergeant, said he would keep fighting, while his father, a retired army intelligence officer, warned the verdict sets a dangerous precedent for free speech.
The acting US attorney for eastern Washington, Richard Barker, resigned rather than sign the indictment, noting that no agents or protesters were hurt. The case has drawn national attention, with Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown calling the prosecution politically motivated. The jury did not hear that a federal judge had ordered the release of the Venezuelan immigrant whose deportation the protesters sought to block, nor were they allowed to use the First Amendment as a defence.
During the trial, it emerged that ICE agent Jeremy Burlingame, who testified, had posted offensive social media comments targeting Black politicians and transgender people. Federal prosecutors recalled him to impeach his credibility, but the jury still returned unanimous guilty verdicts after about 24 hours of deliberation.
