BOISE, Idaho — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a putative class action lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government over a large-scale immigration raid at a horse racing event in Wilder, Idaho, alleging that hundreds of people, including U.S. citizens and children, were subjected to hours of detention in inhumane conditions.
On Feb. 10, 2026, the ACLU, in conjunction with the ACLU of Idaho and Wendy J. Olson, filed the lawsuit concerning an immigration raid carried out in Wilder. The raid, which took place in October 2025 at the La Catedral arena, was executed by “more than 200 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers” armed with guns and flashbang grenades and assisted by armored trucks and helicopters, as they violently disrupted the “popular family event,” proceeding to “[detain] approximately 400 spectators — including U.S. citizens and children — for four hours of detention in inhumane conditions,” according to an ACLU press release.
The preceding “festive and calm day” of Oct. 19, 2025, punctured by the “dragnet immigration raid,” was transformed into a scene of chaos, as ICE officials “shoved compliant people to the ground, forcibly dragged people out of their cars, shot rubber bullets, and threw flashbang grenades into cars that had people sitting inside,” as stated by the ACLU. The organization stated, “Parents and children were zip tied at gunpoint, and agents subjected people to hours of violent and degrading treatment.”
The deputy director of policing at the ACLU, Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, remarked, “Our plaintiffs were treated as less than human because ICE and their willing partners think they can disregard fundamental rights if it gets them immigration arrests,” further adding that “the Trump administration is trampling our rights using racially biased tactics that make us all less safe.” Indicating that the ACLU seeks to undermine the Trump administration’s assumption of legal impunity, Borchetta stated that “the administration can suggest that this abuse is immune from legal consequences, but it is not, and we intend to prove that in court.”
The location of the raid underlines the administration’s intent — to sow fear in Latino immigrant communities. The horse races at La Catedral are a locus for celebrating Mexican culture. The festivities “on typical weekends at La Catedral” are populated by “families with young children and elderly grandparents [who] spend time outside together, enjoying the races, their favorite Mexican foods, and playing games,” according to the ACLU press release.
The class action lawsuit, “brought on behalf of three Latino families who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and a putative class,” represents a major challenge to the institutionalized practices of ICE and is the first of its scale in the second Trump administration.
One of the plaintiffs, Juana Rodriguez, and her 3-year-old son, both U.S. citizens, were victims of serious abuse. Rodriguez explained, “What happened turned our outing into a nightmare. My toddler was forced to witness an incredible amount of violence against people he loves and hear racial slurs about Latinos, experiences that no child should ever be exposed to.” She added, “I am a proud U.S. citizen, and I didn’t do anything wrong. While nothing will ever undo the harm of that day, I joined this lawsuit because I know what happened to me was wrong and because no family should be treated this way again.”
Contemplating the state of American society, Leo Morales, executive director of the ACLU of Idaho, emphasized what Rodriguez’s and others’ experience means, stating, “In moments like this, we ask ourselves: is this the kind of society we want to be?” He concluded, “Those children and their mothers are traumatized for life. It is heartbreaking that federal, state, and local police turned a family-friendly event into a place of nightmares. While nothing can undo what these families endured, we can hold those in power to account and ensure no one else has to endure this treatment in the future.”
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