art by Maggs Dao Hanson
Jeremy Busby wrote about Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada’s unjust arrest in The Intercept on February 16 (“Prison-Style Free Speech Censorship Is Coming for the Rest of Us“) and again on June 26 (“30-Year Sentence for Transporting Zines Is a Five-Alarm Fire for Free Speech“) following Sanchez’s brutal sentencing.
Sanchez was arrested after a noise demonstration was held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas on July 4, 2025, which his wife, Maricela Rueda, attended. Toward the end of the demonstration, a police officer was allegedly shot at and sustained a minor injury. For more information about the case and the Prairieland Defendants, visit this website organized by the DFW Support Committee.
Rueda herself was sentenced to 70 years, despite not having anything to do with the alleged shooting. While Sanchez was not even present at the demonstration, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison due to the prosecution’s theory that “Sanchez moved the zines, which discussed anarchism and other anti-government ideas, to conceal evidence in the case against [Rueda],” writes Busby on June 26.
This sets an alarming precedent, as the Trump administration “under the framework of NSPM-7” ramps up its efforts to criminalize possessing and exchanging information:
The more people are investigated for engaging with ideas the administration deems dangerously anti-government, the more likely others are to conceal evidence of their own controversial beliefs — not because they are evidence of any real crime but because prosecutors are out of control. But if they do so, they risk incriminating themselves.
NSPM-7, which was issued last September, tasks federal agencies with dismantling networks of “anti-fascist” actors, a purposely overly broad term since expanded to include those with “extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment.”
Given that antifa, as a singular, cohesive organization, is a figment of the right’s imagination, agents cannot accomplish that task by uncovering a membership registry. They can only do so by identifying people with viewpoints they consider “extreme,” like anti-ICE protesters officers have told they’re being added to watchlists, or pro-Palestine opinion writers they’ve sought to deport.
We stand in unequivocal solidarity with the Prairieland Defendants, all political prisoners, all victims of ICE’s terror and violence, and all who are targeted with carceral state violence and labelled as “domestic terrorists” for their freedom of expression and efforts to help others. Incarcerated journalists like Jeremy Busby are acutely familiar with these mechanisms of suppression, and understand the necessity of collective support and solidarity.
Support Des
Because Des is a green card holder, he is at an additional risk of deportation. His family and friends are currently raising funds in order to secure robust legal representation to fight Des’s unjust conviction and a possible future deportation order. These funds will go exclusively towards “legal fees and [meeting] the material, communication, and enrichment needs of Des and his family.”
As a fellow artist and animal-lover, I (Maggs Dao) am drawn to Des’s incredible work as a tattoo artist and his values, as he told the court before his sentencing: ” “I worked really hard every day in this country, and I believe in human rights and helping others in need. I donate money and art to help animals and other people… I am a father, I am a husband, I am a teacher, a poet — I am many things, Your Honor, but I am not a terrorist.”
I created this sticker design inspired by Des’s art, his history of fostering baby opossums and his dedication to animal liberation. I will send a free sticker to everyone who donates $5+ donated to Des’s fundraiser, as well as a small original artwork for every $20+ donation. Email maggs@joinjeremy.org with a screenshot or link to your donation to claim.
Visit freedes.net for more information about Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada and his case.
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