ICE says it detained over 100 immigrants in Idaho raid. What we know
Federal agents arrested 105 undocumented immigrants in the raid at a racetrack Sunday in rural Wilder, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
Over the weekend, hundreds of law enforcement agents descended on the racetrack as part of what the FBI said was an investigation into illegal gambling. During the operation, some children were zip-tied, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. An estimated 500 to 1,000 people were attending the race at La Catedral Arena that day, according to Nikki Ramirez-Smith, a Nampa-based immigration lawyer.
The agents arrested four people that day in connection with the gambling and, on Monday, arrested a fifth. Those facing criminal charges are:
- Ivan Tellez, 37, of Wilder.
- Samuel Bejarano Colin, 37, of Nyssa, Oregon.
- Dayana Fajardo, 39, of Nyssa, Oregon.
- Alejandro Torres Estrada, 56, of Buhl.
- Cesar Iniguez Orozco, 45, of Meridian.
Tellez, the track owner, had a conditional use permit to run horse races, but the FBI said he did not have a license to conduct parimutuel betting, which is where bets are pooled and people can bet on results other than the winner. That type of betting is legal in Idaho with a license.
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement credit for the operation, saying immigration agents “dismantled an illegal horse-racing, animal fighting, and a gambling enterprise operation.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are dismantling criminal networks in the United States,” McLaughlin told the Idaho Statesman by email.
Kristi Noem is the secretary of homeland security.
FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker previously told the Statesman by email that ICE’s presence was “separate from the criminal gambling investigation being led by the FBI.”
“ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division was present as part of the broader federal team to process individuals who were found to have potential immigration violations during the course of the investigation,” Barker said. “Their presence was limited to that specific federal responsibility.”
Three out of five charged appear in court Tuesday
All five of the people charge are facing a single felony count of prohibition of illegal gambling business. Tellez, Bejarano Colin and Torres Estrada appeared for initial hearings at the James A. McClure Federal Building in Boise on Tuesday afternoon.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham released Tellez and Torres Estrada from custody, but ordered that Bejarano Colin remain because of a prior criminal history.
Fajardo, who is married to Bejarano Colin, was initially expected in court as well, but her hearing was canceled because of a “transport issue,” online court records showed. Iniguez Orozco’s hearing is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Manweiler, in three separate court filings, said that Bejarano Colin, Fajardo and Torres Estrada should all remain in custody because their ties to Mexico make them flight risks.
Their “underlying conduct is concerning and inherently involves dishonesty and deceit,” Manweiler wrote in the filings. They’re “unlawfully present in the United States and have chosen to engage in illegal activity to earn an income in this country.”
“The weight of the evidence is strong, and a conviction is likely,” she added.
Grasham said in court that Tellez has no criminal history and pointed to Torres Estrada’s ties to the community in releasing them. Torres Estrada has family in the area, Grasham and his lawyer noted, including a handful who sat in the back row of the courtroom on Tuesday. He’s been in Idaho for 24 years, the attorney said.
Grasham ruled to keep Bejerano Colin in custody temporarily, noting a criminal history of driving convictions with failures to appear, and questions about whether he had been previously deported.
Bejerano Colin, Tellez and Torres Estrada all requested preliminary hearings in their cases.
Using financial records, social media, online messages and undercover agents, investigators identified Bejarano Colin as the bookmaker and administrator of the gambling operation, according to the complaint. Fajardo, along with Iniguez Orozco and Torres Estrada, each worked as a “splitter,” someone who assists the bookkeeper with tracking, paying out or collecting wagers, according to their complaints.
Investigators also identified six to 11 horse owners who were involved in the gambling business, according to a criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Jacob Sheri. The horse owners, who were referred to as “the committee,” provided the horses used and made decisions over the race dates, betting pools and entry requirements, the complaint said.
They have not been arrested.
Little cites cartels, drugs and weapons. Democrats call action ‘government overreach’
Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little also commented on the arrests.
“Illegal gambling operations involving animals often accompany drug trafficking, animal abuse, illegal weapons trafficking, and large sums of money that end up in the hands of cartel bosses,” he wrote in a statement. “The State of Idaho provided support in the service of a warrant issued by a federal judge in connection with the illegal activities taking place in Wilder.”
None of the criminal complaints mentioned animal fighting or abuse. When asked about this, an ICE spokesperson told the Statesman to ask the FBI when the indictment would be unsealed.
The federal complaints also cite no evidence of weapon or drug trafficking, and they don’t connect any of the five people to cartels. All five of the people face the single illegal gambling count, which is punishable by up to five years in prison under federal law.
The governor’s office confirmed that none of the 105 people still in custody were children, and Little’s statement asserted that it’s “common practice” for law enforcement to detain others present when serving a warrant.
Lawyers and advocates have criticized the raid and the tactics, saying that people were not allowed to speak with an attorney, that children and U.S. citizens were detained and restrained, and that law enforcement simply targeted Latinos.
Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea called the incident in Wilder “government overreach” in a statement. She said the five suspects could have been arrested separately, as the “vast majority” of those detained had nothing to do with the alleged gambling.
It was “inhumane, unnecessary, and dangerous,” Necochea said.
Little has promised that federal and state law enforcement would focus on criminals, not “innocent families,” she added.
“The Trump regime’s reckless approach to immigration closes legal pathways and punishes law-abiding people, tearing families apart for no purpose other than fear and control,” Necochea wrote. “Idaho’s Republican leaders are now enabling that same moral failure.
“If the government can treat families like this in Wilder, what stops them from doing it anywhere else? Governor Little owes Idahoans an explanation and must end his cooperation with these cruel tactics.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 10:32 AM.
