Lead: In October 2025 at La Catedral Arena near Wilder, Idaho, a large multiagency enforcement action meant to serve a federal gambling warrant left 105 people in immigration custody and dozens of others—including U.S. citizen children—temporarily detained. A 14-year-old girl, identified here by her family as SueHey, told CBS News she was restrained with plastic zip ties and later showed bruising on her wrists, a claim that prompted the American Civil Liberties Union to file a federal civil rights lawsuit. Local and federal officials have offered differing accounts: sheriff’s personnel defended the operation, while Homeland Security denied that ICE zip-tied or handcuffed children. The episode has renewed scrutiny of enforcement tactics used during recent nationwide immigration sweeps.
Key takeaways
- The October 2025 operation at La Catedral Arena resulted in 105 people identified as undocumented and transferred to detention facilities, while roughly 375 attendees who proved citizenship or lawful status were released.
- Photographs obtained by CBS News appear to show plastic restraints and bruises on the wrists of a 14-year-old U.S. citizen; her mother says she and other adults were also zip-tied temporarily.
- The raid involved a large tactical presence—witnesses reported a low-flying helicopter, five armored vehicles and about 200 officers—creating chaotic scenes that included flashbangs and broken car windows.
- The FBI held a warrant to arrest five people suspected of running an unlicensed gambling operation; those five face criminal charges tied to the warrant.
- The ACLU has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of three Latino families, alleging officers used the warrant as cover to conduct immigration-style sweeps at a predominantly Hispanic public event.
- Official statements have been inconsistent: an initial FBI Boise denial was later nuanced, Caldwell Police acknowledged some minors had been zip-tied, and a DHS spokesperson said ICE does not zip-tie children.
- Local leaders and legal advocates warn the raid damaged trust between law enforcement and Idaho’s Latino community and could deter victims or witnesses from calling police in the future.
Background
The event targeted in October took place at La Catedral Arena, a popular community horse-racing and social gathering spot about an hour from Boise. Organizers and attendees described a family-friendly atmosphere with vendors, raffles and children present; many attendees were U.S. citizens of Hispanic descent. Federal authorities said the operation grew from a multi-year FBI investigation into an unlicensed gambling ring and that a criminal warrant named five targets at the track.
Over recent months the U.S. has seen an increase in high-profile immigration enforcement operations that employ militarized tactics, and public scrutiny has risen when children are involved. Civil liberties groups argue that mixing criminal investigations and immigration screening at public events risks sweeping up lawful residents and citizens and produces traumatic outcomes. Local attorneys who responded to the scene say many people taken into immigration processing had long-established ties in the U.S. and no criminal records.
Main event
Witness accounts and video reviewed by reporters describe a rapid escalation: a helicopter circled low over the field and heavily equipped officers converged in force. Attendees said officers in tactical gear ordered large groups to gather on the racetrack while flashbangs, armored vehicles and drawn weapons heightened confusion. Several parents and children reported being separated from loved ones for hours while officers checked documentation.
Photographs provided to CBS News show what appear to be plastic wrist restraints and bruising on a 14-year-old girl’s wrists; the girl’s mother said both she and her daughter were temporarily bound. Romero, the mother, said her two younger children—ages 6 and 8—were in the family truck and were not zip-tied, but that the family was detained and questioned for hours until agents determined their U.S. citizenship.
Local officials have given different descriptions of the tactics used. Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue, who joined the operation on horseback, defended the containment as a necessary law-enforcement step tied to the criminal investigation. Federal officials initially denied that ICE restrained children; subsequent local statements acknowledged that minors were zip-tied at the scene. By the end of the day, five people were arrested on the gambling-related warrant, 105 people were moved to immigration custody, and several hundred attendees were released after proving status.
Analysis & implications
The incident raises questions about operational planning and the boundaries between criminal investigations and immigration enforcement. When agencies execute a warrant in a crowded public space, the potential to detain large numbers of bystanders—including citizens and lawful residents—increases. Civil-rights lawyers contend that the pattern seen in Idaho risks normalizing aggressive tactics that inflict harm and undermine civil liberties, especially when children are present.
Operationally, multiagency actions introduce coordination challenges: different agencies bring distinct missions, authorities and rules of engagement. Critics argue that inviting immigration authorities to accompany a criminal investigation can shift priorities on the ground and expand the scope of detentions beyond the original warrant’s targets. Proponents of the joint operation say combining resources helps disrupt criminal networks more effectively, pointing to the five arrests tied to the gambling probe.
Politically, the raid has immediate and long-term consequences. In the short term, local leaders report damaged trust between law enforcement and Idaho’s Latino residents, reducing cooperation with policing and emergency services. Legislatively and nationally, the ACLU lawsuit and media coverage may intensify calls for clearer rules limiting immigration enforcement at public events and for congressional oversight of ICE tactics during immigration sweeps.
Comparison & data
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| People taken to immigration custody | 105 |
| Attendees released after proving status | ~375 |
| Criminal arrests (unlicensed gambling) | 5 |
The table above shows the principal numeric outcomes reported: five criminal arrests connected to the warrant, 105 people moved into immigration processing and roughly 375 released after status checks. These figures underscore how an operation aimed at a small number of suspects can produce wide-ranging effects on a large crowd. Legal challenges will likely center on whether officers exceeded the warrant’s scope and whether procedures for minors were appropriate.
Reactions & quotes
Officials, civil-rights groups and local residents have offered sharply different perspectives on the raid’s necessity and conduct.
“We did not zip tie or handcuff children; ICE does not do that,”
Trisha McLaughlin, DHS spokesperson (statement to media)
This statement reflects the Department of Homeland Security’s public denial that ICE used plastic restraints on children; it conflicts with photographs and family testimony cited by reporters.
“They have done long lasting damage to children,”
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, ACLU deputy project director on policing
The ACLU official emphasized emotional and developmental harms and cited the organization’s decision to file a federal lawsuit alleging civil-rights violations during the sweep.
“Law enforcement is not evil because we contained everybody and detained them until we sorted it out,”
Sheriff Kieran Donahue, Canyon County (interview)
Donahue defended the operation as a targeted investigative effort tied to a long-running FBI probe, asserting that immigration enforcement was secondary to criminal objectives.
Unconfirmed
- Whether ICE agents personally applied zip ties to the 14-year-old remains contested; DHS denied ICE involvement while local statements and photos suggest minors were restrained.
- The extent of “cartel involvement” cited by the sheriff as a rationale for the large tactical footprint has not been corroborated in subsequent criminal filings beyond the five gambling charges.
- Precise rules and agency-level decisions that led to immigration screening at the scene have not been fully documented publicly; internal after-action reports were not released at the time of reporting.
Bottom line
The Wilder raid illustrates a broader tension in contemporary law enforcement: balancing aggressive disruption of alleged criminal enterprises with safeguarding civil liberties, particularly for bystanders and children. Photographic evidence and family testimony alleging that minors were restrained have amplified calls for clearer limits on how immigration and criminal authorities coordinate in public settings.
Legal challenges—most immediately the ACLU’s federal lawsuit—will test whether the conduct at La Catedral Arena exceeded constitutional and statutory bounds and whether current policies adequately protect civilians at mixed public events. Policymakers and law-enforcement leaders will face renewed pressure to clarify rules of engagement, oversight and transparency to restore community trust.