The Green Party of Utah (GPUT) strongly condemns the recent federal sentencing (June 23, 2026) of immigrant, tattoo artist, and political activist Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada, alongside his fellow Prairieland defendants. This troubling escalation in the federal prosecution of political dissent—rooted in a demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Texas—represents a severe threat to basic democratic freedoms and constitutional rights.
Daniel Sanchez Estrada was targeted, trailed by federal agents, and arrested following a minor traffic stop, ultimately facing federal charges for distributing widely available anarchist zines. The federal government’s campaign to map peaceful political expression onto fictitious “domestic terrorism” networks is an explicit attempt to silence critics of immigration enforcement and border militarization.
This prosecution directly undermines the core tenets of a free society. The GPUT stands firmly on our party’s national platform and Four Pillars: Peace, Ecology, Social Justice, and Grassroots Democracy.
GPUT members maintain that the weaponization of the judicial system to criminalize alternative literature and target immigrant communities is a direct assault on Grassroots Democracy and Social Justice. The party asserts that when independent media and political zines are treated as contraband or evidence of terrorism, the state is actively intimidating regular people into silence. Green Party members emphasize that free speech cannot be conditional on whether the government approves of the literature being printed.
By exploiting Des’s immigration status to maximize prosecutorial leverage, federal agencies are setting a dangerous precedent that criminalizes the right to assembly and free speech. This strategy disproportionately targets immigrant, migrant, and refugee organizers who speak out against systemic human rights violations inside detention centers.
In alignment with the foundational Green value of Non-Violence, GPUT members stand opposed to this institutional violence being used to crush peaceful political opposition. Party members point out that Des and the other Prairieland activists chose to bear witness to the cruelty of the immigration system. The GPUT holds that handing down heavy prison sentences for the simple act of sharing ideas and carrying zines is a severe federal overreach that should deeply alarm all people, regardless of political affiliation.
The GPUT previously signed onto the “Free Des” solidarity letter and continues to stand in unwavering alignment with the dozens of legal, civil rights, and grassroots organizations demanding systemic accountability. True safety and justice cannot exist in a society where political speech is criminalized, and where a small, authoritarian minority dictates what ideas are safe to read, share, or possess.
We call for the immediate release of Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada and all political prisoners targeted for their defense of immigrant rights. A threat to political dissent anywhere is an immediate threat to the freedom of us all.
Free Des History and Press Statement, June 23
Prairieland Defendant Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Moving a Box of Antifascist Zines, June 23
Zines Are Not a Crime! Free Des Sanchez, January 12
Green Party of Utah 