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Three protesters dubbed the “Spokane 3” were convicted Thursday on federal conspiracy charges stemming from protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Washington state last year.
The defendants — Jac Archer, Justice Forral and Bajun Mavalwalla II — were accused of attempting to prevent federal officers from transporting two detained immigrants from Spokane to Tacoma in June 2025, KUOW reported.
They were among hundreds of demonstrators who responded to a social media post by former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart calling for supporters to block the transfer bus, according to the report.
Stuckart was serving as a sponsor for one of the two immigrants who were seeking asylum in the United States.
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He was later arrested along with nine other protesters on conspiracy charges.
According to KUOW, Stuckart and five others pleaded guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.
Following Thursday’s verdict, Washington state Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, criticized Stuckart for not attending the proceedings.
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“You started this and you couldn’t even show up to finish it,” Hill said. “So I call on you, and I call on others to do what you said you were going to do, and stand up for your community because the fight is not over with this conviction.”
Stuckart later wrote on Facebook that attending the two-week trial would have violated the terms of his parole.
“I feel awful about the guilty verdict,” he wrote. “I feel awful for Jac, Bajun and Justice and their families. I support those that took plea deals and I support those that went to trial.”
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He also referenced the two detained immigrants.
“I am trying my best to finish what I started by taking care of the guys the government wrongfully took,” Stuckart wrote.
Bajun Mavalwalla Sr., the father of one of the convicted protesters and a congressional candidate, said federal prosecutors were attempting to make an example of his son, according to KUOW.
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He accused the government of trying to discourage Americans from speaking out against immigration enforcement policies.
“The right to protest, the right to dissent, the right to assemble — all of those things are now in question because of this case,” he said. “In other cases across the country, the juries were not tainted and the cases have been thrown out.”
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