Monday marked the restart of the federal case tied to the ICE Prairieland shooting after last week’s mistrial. Jury selection began Monday in Fort Worth U.S. Federal Courthouse for nine defendants charged in connection with the July 4, 2025 shooting of an Alvarado police officer at the ICE Prai rieland Detention Center. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman declared a mistrial last week after a defense attorney wore an undershirt featuring civil rights imagery. Pittman said the clothing could convey a political message to potential jurors. “This is an unprecedented case. This is a case that might criminalize the right to protest,” said defense attorney Xavier Dejanon, co-director of the nonprofit People’s Law Collective, who observed proceedings virtually from an overflow room. More than 30 people, including private citizens, attorneys and media, gathered to watch jury selection at the Dallas Federal Courthouse. “The biggest difference is that we are in Dallas and the overflow courtroom last week was in Fort Worth,” Dejanon said. The location shift is part of Pittman’s revised courtroom procedures following the mistrial. However, concerns about public access surfaced after the video feed to the overflow room was interrupted at least twice. “We missed about 20 minutes of jury selection,” Dejanon said. “Last week, it was jury selection that resulted in a missed trial. So, jury selection is very, very important for the innocence or guilt of the defendants.” A federal staff member told those in the overflow room the interruptions were being addressed, noting it was the first time proceedings had been streamed off-site. Other changes include having the judge conduct questioning of prospective jurors, with attorneys permitted to submit questions. At least 130 people were part of the jury pool. Pittman questioned jurors about potential bias involving Antifa, recent immigration enforcement, the right to protest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and whether individuals may bring weapons to protests. He also addressed historical courtroom artwork depicting the Texas Rangers. On Monday, Pittman informed the court there would be two alternate jurors instead of three and that the time for opening arguments would be reduced. As of Monday afternoon, jury selection was close to completion. The trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning and is expected to last about three weeks. Dejanon warned that a shortened trial schedule could affect the presentation of evidence and the defendants’ rights. “A shortened trial where everyone needs to speed up, be concise, be quick, could result in not all evidence being presented, the jury feeling rushed, the arguments not being preserved, and basically the defendants’ rights being violated,” he said. ...read more read less