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A Message From Prairieland Prisoner Autumn Hill: “Don’t Be Afraid”

I talked to the political prisoner about the politics of love, her case, surviving as a trans woman in a men’s prison, and how she makes it through the day.

A sign that reads “FREE THE PRAIRIELAND DEFENDANTS” is taped to a post outside of the Eldon B. Mahon US Courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

Last year, Autumn Hill was among those arrested for protesting outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Texas. After a noise demonstration, Hill left the scene. But some stayed behind, and after a police officer pulled a gun on the crowd, a protester fired their own weapon. The officer was hit in the shoulder. While no one died from the violence, Trump treated the protest as an incident of “Antifa” violence, a term he has used to criminalize dissent, arguing that there is an organized terrorist cell behind similar incidents across the country. For simply being present at the demonstration, even before the shooting occurred, Hill was sentenced to 50 years in prison. While she is a trans woman, she has been serving her time in a men’s prison.

When I caught up with her, Hill was in good spirits. She had spent the morning reading a chemistry textbook. Over the phone, we spoke about nonviolence, Thich Nhat Hanh, Martin Luther King Jr., and more. We dug into what a politics of love looks like, ICE, free speech, and whether or not “Antifa” is an ideology.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Grace Byron: How are you doing today? How are you spending your days?

Autumn Hill: I get up in the morning, often earlier than other people in the unit, and I read communications. I get anywhere from two to four letters a day. I have a bunch of people that I talk to over the jail communications app, and I have a lot of phone correspondence as well. In that respect, compared to a lot of people in a similar situation, I’m very blessed because I’m not really lonely at all.

GB: What happened last year that you were later arrested for?

AH: On the night of July 4th, some friends and I went to the Prairieland Detention Center to protest the unjust abduction of people by ICE. We wanted to make some noise. We wanted to get [the detainees’] attention and let them know that we were out here and supportive of them and that we knew that what was happening to them wasn’t right. I actually went home before the violence occurred, so I can’t really speak directly to what happened at the end of the protest. But I’ve said before that I know the alleged shooter. They are a close friend of mine, and even after they’ve been found guilty, I certainly do not believe the government’s narrative because that’s just not in the character of my friend.

GB: I think it was the Democracy Now! interview where you said that that night on the 4th of July was a radical act of love for you. I’m curious what that means to you.

AH: The concept of radical love is very spiritual to me. It’s a matter of faith. I don’t follow any organized religion, but I grew up in a Christian fundamentalist household and my spirituality has been central to my life for a very long time. A significant part of the reason why I didn’t come out of the closet was because I wanted to try to find some way to bridge the gap between my sexuality and my gender presentation in a way that was going to allow me to stay with my community of faith. And unfortunately, there just was nothing that I ever could have done.

A lot of our media today centers the experiences of queer people and their reconciliation with their families. Stuff like Steven........

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