‘Spokane 3’ convicted on federal conspiracy charges for blocking ICE bus
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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, Judge Forral and Bajun Mavalwalla II — were charged with trying to prevent federal officers from transporting two detained immigrants from Spokane to Tacoma in June 2025, KUOW reported.
They were among the hundreds of demonstrators who responded to former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart’s social media post calling on fans to block the transfer bus, according to the report.
Stuckart was serving as a sponsor for one of two immigrants seeking asylum in the United States.
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Protesters hold a “Stop ICE” banner after it is removed by Seattle police during a bill signing event with Gov. Bob Ferguson on March 19, 2026 in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson/AP)
He was later arrested along with nine other protesters on conspiracy charges.
Stuckart and five others pleaded guilty in exchange for reduced sentences, according to KUOW.
Following Thursday’s decision, Washington state Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, criticized Stuckart for not attending the hearings.
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Federal agents detain an anti-ICE protester during a protest against federal immigration enforcement and policing tactics outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, on October 12, 2025. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty)
“You started this and you didn’t even show up to finish it,” Hill said. “So I urge you and others to do what you said you would do and stand up for your community because this fight against faith is not over yet.”
Stuckart later wrote on Facebook that attending the two-week hearing would violate the terms of his parole.
“I feel so bad about the guilty verdict,” he wrote. “I feel so bad for Jac, Bajun, Justice and their families. I support those who accepted plea deals and went to trial.”
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On January 24, 2026, people protested outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, D.C., after a man was shot and killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis earlier that day. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
He also referred to two detained immigrants.
“I am doing my best to finish what I started by taking care of the men the government took unjustly,” Stuckart wrote.
Bajun Mavalwalla Sr., the father of one of the convicted protesters and a congressional candidate, said federal prosecutors are trying to make an example of his son, according to KUOW.
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He accused the government of trying to dissuade Americans from speaking out against immigration enforcement policies.
“The right to protest, the right to dissent, the right to assemble – all of these are now being called into question because of this case,” he said. “In other cases across the country, juries were not tainted and cases were dismissed.”
