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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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United States citizens detained by federal agents at a family event in a small Idaho city are suing the Trump administration, alleging some parents and children were zip-tied at gunpoint during an immigration raid.
The raid, at La Catedral Arena in Wilder in October 2025, saw roughly 400 individuals detained when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrived in the remote, Republican-majority community.
"On October 19, I took my 3-year-old to a family-friendly event where we could eat, play, and enjoy horse races together," Juana Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, said in a press release.
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"What happened turned our outing into a nightmare. My toddler was forced to witness an incredible amount of violence against people he loves and hear racial slurs about Latinos, experiences that no child should ever be exposed to. I'll never forget hearing his little voice pleading with me to give him food and water for hours on end."
Why It Matters
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Idaho, is the latest legal challenge against the Trump administration’s widespread immigration enforcement. While most of the pushback against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come from Democrat-run cities and states that have been the focus for ICE, the raid in Wilder highlighted that even communities that have largely backed President Donald Trump would not be immune from federal immigration enforcement.
In 2024, Canyon County, where Wilder sits, voted 72 percent for Trump, compared to 25 percent for former Vice President Kamala Harris. Idaho overall is a largely red state and home to one of the country's largest agricultural and farming industries, sectors that have heavily relied on immigrant labor, both legal and illegal.
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What To Know
The horse races at La Catedral are described by locals as a beloved family event, and the venue has been a place where immigrants of all ages could celebrate their Hispanic culture for many years.
On October 19, roughly 200 federal agents, including some from the FBI, arrived at the venue, with DHS saying that the raid was part of an investigation into alleged unlicensed gambling connected to the venue.
During the raid, people at the venue, immigrants and citizens alike, were detained by agents with rubber bullets, flashbangs, and zip ties. The ACLU argues that these methods did not match up with the government’s claim of a targeted operation.
“Wearing militarized gear and face coverings, they pointed guns and screamed orders at frightened families,” the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District of Idaho, said. “They broke the windows of cars parked on the property, sending glass pouring onto those inside, including children who had taken refuge in cars because of rain. They threw compliant people to the ground and shot rubber bullets over the heads of teenagers.”
After this, the entire crowd was rounded up and held, the ACLU alleged. Around 400 people were then sorted into groups depending on their perceived immigration status. Some law enforcement officers denied Latino detainees water and access to bathrooms.
DHS told Newsweek that 105 illegal immigrants were detained as a result of the operation, but the ACLU argued that the raid was an excuse to meet deportation targets, rather than a focused operation aimed at the alleged illegal activity.
Local law enforcement already had warrants for suspects related to the gambling operation, leaving questions over why the entire crowd had to be detained, the complaint said.
Four months on, the community is still feeling the lasting repercussions of the raid. Rodriguez said she was afraid to attend Latino events she previously enjoyed. The complaint says this feeling is widespread in the Wilder community, with Hispanic residents there losing a sense of security.
Farmers in the area told The New York Times that they rely on immigrant labor, as do many other rural areas of the U.S., and that the raid had left them concerned about their future.
What People Are Saying
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in a statement: “ICE didn’t zip tie, restrain, or arrest any children. Plaintiff’s lawsuit is just another attempt to obstruct President Trump from delivering on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of illegal aliens.
“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country. The ACLU should just change its name. It’s clear they only care about illegal aliens—not Americans.”
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy director of policing at the ACLU, said in a press release: “From Wilder, to Minneapolis, to Chicago, the Trump administration is trampling our rights using racially biased tactics that make us all less safe. The administration can suggest that this abuse is immune from legal consequences, but it is not, and we intend to prove that in court.”
Chris Gross, a second-generation farmer in Wilder, told The New York Times: “We rely on Hispanic labor. Nobody thought something like this could happen here.”
What Happens Next
The lawsuit relies on Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and detentions, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of equal protection. Plaintiffs are asking that a judge rule that the Trump administration and local law enforcement violated these amendments, and grant compensation for those temporarily detained.
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