Why did FBI target Wilder gambling? Former law enforcement officers weigh in
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- FBI led a multiagency raid in Wilder after tips about gambling and drugs.
- Authorities detained attendees for hours; ICE processed over 100 immigration holds.
- Former agents say FBI pursues organized-crime links and secures federal warrants.
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Wilder racetrack raid
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In the aftermath of a law enforcement raid on a horse-racing arena in Wilder, community members had questions.
With five people arrested on charges, but more than 100 “illegal aliens” detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Department of Homeland Security, some activists were skeptical about law enforcement officials’ claim that the raid was primarily a crackdown on illegal gambling.
“I would like to question: How many people who were detained were actually arrested for that, and how many people were detained for their immigration status?” Dania Tolentino, who attended a Caldwell protest against the raid, told the Idaho Statesman.
The FBI, which led the task force responding to the raid, did not respond to a question about how the agency decided to pursue this case.
But a former FBI agent and a former U.S. attorney shared insight into how FBI operations come together. Though they weren’t involved in the Wilder raid, they spoke about how the federal agency makes decisions about what cases to pursue.
When does the FBI get involved?
The FBI aims to put its resources toward cases that involve a criminal network or have links to organized crime, said Richard Denholm, who was an FBI special agent for over 20 years. At the alleged illegal gambling operation in Wilder, law enforcement agencies had received tips about narcotics trafficking and the presence of undocumented immigrants at the events, according to court documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the past week.
But there are no “hard and fast rules” for when the FBI gets involved in a case, Josh Hurwit, a former U.S. attorney, told the Statesman.
The agency is often drawn to cases that interest other federal agencies, including ICE, said Denholm, now a professor in George Mason University’s Department of Criminology, Law and Society. If the Department of Homeland Security had information about a large number of undocumented people attending races in Wilder, it could increase the chances that the FBI pursues the criminal case, he said.
But FBI agents must obtain search or arrest warrants from a federal judge before they may pursue a raid, Denholm said. The agency had both kinds of warrants in this case, according to court records.
“You have a court making the decision that they need to be there,” Denholm said. “It’s not like the FBI’s picking up ICE and going out and doing this. They actually have to execute the court’s order.”
How often does the FBI conduct joint raids?
In cases of interest to multiple agencies, it is common for the FBI to conduct investigations and operations in a “task force” model, collaborating and sharing intelligence with other law enforcement offices, Denholm said.
“That’s actually kind of the norm,” he said. “We work with local, state and other federal agencies all the time.”
The Wilder raid involved the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime and Gang Task Force, which includes the FBI, and the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and the Caldwell Police Department, among other law enforcement bodies. In all, there were 10 agencies involved.
That said, Denholm noted that because many FBI investigations are tied to a federal grand jury, which involves confidential information, collaboration with other agencies can be a balancing act.
“If you divulge secret grand jury information, you could get in a lot of trouble,” he said.
Hundreds of officers were at this raid. Is that normal?
About 200 law enforcement officers from the 10 different agencies participated in the raid, according to an FBI news release. About 400 people were attending the racing event.
Denholm said that especially at a large venue, the FBI could send many agents to keep the situation under control.
“You need to go in with overwhelming force to keep everybody safe so you can get everybody handcuffed and find out what’s going on,” he said.
Law enforcement officials initially detained everyone in attendance at the event in Wilder, according to lawyers and advocates. Denholm said doing so is often an important part of keeping a situation under control and gathering more information. People who appear to be bystanders sometimes have additional information about a criminal case, he said.
“When we go into a situation like that, you don’t know everything,” he said. “You go in with the mindset of, maybe there’s other stuff going on.”
For that reason, FBI agents might even be reluctant to release families with children at first, he said. Hypothetically, he said, agents could release adults with young kids, only to learn later that someone was involved in human trafficking.
“Now we’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t,” he said. “So you take the extra time, you secure the scene, you calm everybody down, and then you ask questions.”
How much influence did President Donald Trump’s agenda have?
The FBI’s priorities change based on the priorities of the presidential administration, though they are also driven by the goals of FBI headquarters and local field offices, Denholm said.
New presidential administrations bring new people into the Department of Justice, including U.S. attorneys, who have “a lot of input” into FBI priorities, he said. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has targeted immigrants and called for mass deportations as a focus of his agenda.
Right now, Hurwit noted, there is an “increased enforcement climate” around immigration, which may contribute to an “enhanced” focus on joint operations between the FBI and ICE.
Carolyn Komatsoulis contributed reporting.
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
