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Taxpayers face mounting costs after mass raid detained 105 at Idaho horse track

Oct 19, 2025 · Wilder, ID

Taxpayers face mounting costs after mass raid detained 105 at Idaho horse track

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from about 10 agencies swept La Catedral Arena horse track in Wilder, Idaho, in October, zip-tying roughly 400 attendees, including children, during what the FBI called an illegal gambling investigation covered by a warrant for only five suspects. Ultimately 105 undocumented immigrants were taken into ICE custody, while a group of Idahoans, including U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, sued alleging officers used racial epithets and withheld water, food, bathroom access and medical care; lead plaintiff Juana Rodriguez said she was zip-tied for nearly four hours and unable to hold her 3-year-old son. Records show the Nampa Police Department spent about $24,000 and the Caldwell Police Department spent $11,300 in officer wages that day, with Caldwell's chief saying he felt 'very bad' that children were separated from parents. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill later ordered 16 detainees released after rejecting the government's bid to expand mandatory detention and awarded roughly $87,000 in attorneys' fees to two law firms suing over the raid. Four protesters arrested at the scene were charged with misdemeanor resisting and obstructing officers, with most charges later dropped; ICE, the FBI and local agencies have since filed motions seeking dismissal of the lawsuit. Attorney Nikki Ramirez-Smith said, 'If the government's going to illegally detain them, and we have to fight that ... we're all going to pay for it.'

Timeline

Oct 19, 2025Roughly 200 officers from 10 agencies raided La Catedral Arena horse track, zip-tying about 400 attendees and arresting 105 undocumented immigrants; four protesters also arrested.
Oct 19, 2025Three families who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, including Juana Rodriguez, later sued with ACLU of Idaho help, alleging racial targeting and denial of food, water and bathroom access.
Oct 19, 2025Idaho Statesman reported Nampa police spent about $24,000 and Caldwell police $11,300 in wages for the raid, with Caldwell's chief expressing regret over child separations.
Oct 1, 2025Reports detailed mounting taxpayer costs from the raid, including local police wages and ongoing legal fallout.
Aug 2025Judge Winmill ordered 16 detainees released, rejecting government's push for expanded mandatory detention, and awarded about $87,000 ($73,000 to Ramirez-Smith Law, ~$14,000 to another firm) in attorneys' fees.
UndatedICE, FBI and local law enforcement defendants filed motions seeking dismissal of the ACLU lawsuit over the raid.

Sources

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