Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are defending themselves against a class-action lawsuit over an October raid at La Catedral Arena in Wilder, Idaho, amid widespread media coverage portraying the operation as targeting innocent families.
In reality, the Oct. 19 operation involved more than 200 officers from the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Idaho State Police, and local police departments executing a federal warrant tied to suspected unlicensed gambling, a criminal matter under Idaho and federal law.
The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU on behalf of Latino families, claims roughly 400 people, including toddlers and teens, were detained for hours without food, water, or bathroom access.
Media reports have focused heavily on alleged mistreatment, including claims of zip-tied minors, without emphasizing the criminal investigation that prompted the raid.
Juana Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, said her 3-year-old son cried while she was restrained.
Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue, who participated in the raid on horseback, acknowledged the images showing a minor with bruised wrists but stressed the operation was lawful and orderly.
“Law enforcement is not evil because we contained everybody and detained them until we sorted it out. That’s not evil,” he told CBS News.
ICE and Homeland Security officials also maintain that their agents did not zip-tie children and that all actions were within legal authority.
The raid was part of a multi-year FBI investigation into illegal gambling at the racetrack.
Only five individuals faced gambling-related charges, while 105 attendees were taken into immigration custody, and the remainder were released after proving lawful status, according to East Idaho News.
Law enforcement officials emphasize that temporary detention and restraint were necessary to maintain order during a large-scale investigation.
Despite media narratives framing the raid as an attack on families, authorities note the operation focused on suspected criminal activity, not ethnicity.
Sheriff Donahue said ICE’s involvement was supportive and secondary, assisting in identifying individuals not legally present while the FBI pursued evidence against gambling operators.
Media coverage, however, has spotlighted traumatic accounts of children and families, including 14-year-old SueHey, described as having her hands zip-tied during the operation, and other minors allegedly exposed to militarized tactics.
The ACLU claims these actions caused emotional distress, but law enforcement asserts these measures were temporary and meant to secure the scene while executing warrants.
According to Idaho News 6, local attorneys and plaintiffs allege law enforcement misapplied the warrant to detain large numbers of people, while officials argue the focus was enforcing state and federal criminal statutes.
The class-action lawsuit seeks damages, attorney fees, and recognition of constitutional violations, including unreasonable seizure and denial of equal protection.
No court rulings have been issued, and law enforcement agencies have not yet filed responses addressing the specific allegations. Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam said city authorities are committed to “following the legal process with integrity and professionalism.”
Despite these assurances, media coverage has largely focused on the impact on families, often giving less attention to the underlying criminal investigation targeting suspected illegal gambling.
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