Some children were zip-tied during raid in Wilder. Will agencies own up to it?
READ MORE
Wilder racetrack raid
Follow our coverage of the FBI-led raid on Wilder’s La Catedral Arena
Expand All
Heartless ICE (FBI) raid in Idaho was authoritarianism in action | Opinion
Felony charges filed after FBI horse betting investigation in Wilder, Idaho
‘Very scary’: Protesters criticize raid in Idaho where children were detained
Child separation, zip ties and rubber bullets: Inside the Idaho racetrack raid
FBI raids Wilder property in horse betting investigation. Was ICE involved?
The Caldwell Police Department has been the only one of 10 agencies at a recent federal raid in Wilder, Idaho, to confirm that its officers zip-tied children during the Oct. 19 operation at a horse racing venue.
The FBI-led raid at La Catedral Arena, a track in Canyon County popular among the Latino community, sparked from an investigation into an alleged illegal horse betting operation. The FBI arrested five individuals who were tied to the gambling investigation — four the day of the raid and one the day after.
At the event, which saw hundreds of people in attendance, law enforcement restrained individuals and set up tents to question them about their immigration status. By the end, ICE said its agents arrested over 100 “illegal aliens.”
In the days after the raid, the Idaho Statesman spoke with three families of those detained at La Catedral who said their 13- and 14-year-olds were zip-tied. The ACLU and immigration attorneys also shared photos of children who had marks on their wrists where they had been restrained.
The FBI originally said through a spokesperson that reports of children being zip-tied were “completely false.” Within minutes of a Statesman reporter questioning the veracity of that statement, agency spokesperson Sandra Yi Barker sent an email with a qualification, saying that no “young” children were zip-tied or had less-lethal force options used on them.
It’s not known what the agency’s definition of “young” is.
The Statesman reached out to all of the agencies involved to ask whether their representatives used zip-ties on people younger than 18. The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson directed the Statesman to the FBI with any questions related to the raid.
The Caldwell Police Department confirmed that its officers “did flex cuff teens,” spokesperson Char Jackson said in an email to the Statesman.
Other agencies involved included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms, and Explosives; ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Idaho State Police; the Idaho Department of Correction; and the Nampa Police Department.
Nampa police spokesperson Carmen Boeger said its officers “did not zip-tie any children.” State police spokesperson Aaron Snell told the Statesman that troopers assisted the FBI with perimeter security and crowd containment, but “did not detain any juveniles or deploy less-lethal munitions.”
A spokesperson from IDOC said probation and parole officers assisted, “but they did not detain any juveniles.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 11:05 AM.
