Three Protesters Convicted on Conspiracy Charges in Spokane

Three protesters known as the “Spokane 3” were convicted on Thursday for federal conspiracy charges. These activities were linked to their involvement in protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington state last year.

The defendants, Jac Archer, Justice Forral, and Bajun Mavalwalla II, faced accusations of trying to impede federal officers from moving two detained immigrants from Spokane to Tacoma in June 2025, according to KUOW reports.

These three were part of a larger group of demonstrators who answered a social media call by former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. The post urged supporters to block the transfer bus, as per the report.

Stuckart was a sponsor for one of the two asylum-seeking immigrants involved. He, along with nine others, was arrested and charged with conspiracy. According to KUOW, Stuckart and five others accepted plea deals for lighter sentences.

“You started this and you couldn’t even show up to finish it,” said Washington state Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane. “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 wrote on Facebook that attending the trial for two weeks would breach his parole terms. He expressed remorse for the guilty verdict, especially for Archer, Mavalwalla, and Forral, and supported both those taking plea deals and those who went to trial.

He also expressed his continued commitment to assisting the detained immigrants involved.

Bajun Mavalwalla Sr., the father of one of the convicted, and a congressional candidate, criticized the federal prosecutors. He claimed they aimed to use his son as an example, according to KUOW. He argued that the case could discourage dissent against immigration policies.

Mavalwalla Sr. mentioned the rights to protest, dissent, and assemble being under threat due to this case. He noted that other juries in similar cases had dismissed charges, unlike this one.