# Idaho raid exposes ICE's legal vulnerability > A helicopter descent on a horse racing festival in Wilder, Idaho, led to 105 immigration arrests using an FBI warrant. Now a lawsuit could reshape how ICE operates nationwide. - Title: Idaho raid exposes ICE's legal vulnerability · TIME | Shortify - Summary: A helicopter descent on a horse racing festival in Wilder, Idaho, led to 105 immigration arrests using an FBI warrant. Now a lawsuit could reshape how ICE… - Keywords: ice, immigration enforcement, wilder idaho, aclu, fourth amendment, federal warrant, civil rights lawsuit, la catedral arena, qualified immunity, Idaho, raid, exposes - Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/10/19/ICE-immiration-raid-Wilder-Idaho-warrant-FBI-ACLU - Author: Philip Wang - Published: 2026-10-19T11:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: ice, immigration enforcement, wilder idaho, aclu, fourth amendment, federal warrant, civil rights lawsuit, la catedral arena, qualified immunity ## Black helicopter over a festival A year ago, a military-style helicopter hovered above La Catedral Arena, a horse racing track outside Wilder, Idaho, where hundreds gathered for a festival celebrating horse racing and Mexican culture. ## Chaos erupts on the grounds Backed by armored trucks and snipers, more than two hundred law enforcement members stormed the grounds.Some shot rubber bullets into the crowd and hurled flash-bang grenades into vehicles. ## One hundred five arrested for immigration violations Federal authorities arrested one hundred five people for alleged immigration violations. Yet the only warrant for the Wilder raid was secured by the FBI, targeting the track owner and four others for alleged unlicensed gambling. ## ACLU sues over Fourth Amendment violation The ACLU argues ICE unlawfully piggybacked on the FBI operation rather than securing their own warrant. > That is what a massively violent immigration raid looks like ## Trump administration defends the operation Trump Administration officials insist the arrests were lawful.A DHS spokesperson told TIME that ICE helped dismantle an illegal horse racing, animal fighting and gambling enterprise. ## U.S. citizens detained without food or water Juana Rodriguez attended with her three year old son, both U.S.citizens.They were zip-tied and detained for hours. > For the longest time, my son begged me for food. He begged me for water. ## Seventy five believed deported, four missing Among the one hundred five people arrested, seventy five are believed to have been deported to their home countries.Twenty six were released from ICE custody after their lawyers filed habeas corpus petitions. ## School absences spike after the raid The day after the raid, the Wilder School District reported absent rates soared, with twenty percent of students absent. More than half of the district's student body is Hispanic or Latino. ## Lasting trauma in the community A year later, Rodriguez says she is still scared to go to Latino cultural and public events because of what happened. She also has nightmares about ICE officers taking her child away from her. > I'm from here. My kids are from here. Why should I have to feel that? ## Broader legal fights over ICE operations The Wilder case is one of multiple lawsuits the Trump Administration is fighting over immigration enforcement.In Minnesota, civil lawsuits have emerged over deaths during immigration enforcement.Marimar Martinez, a U.S. ## Lawsuit could change ICE behavior nationwide The ACLU filed a class action complaint in February.While awaiting a judge's ruling, ACLU attorney Jenn Rolnick Borchetta says the lawsuit itself has already helped change ICE conduct and how local governments collaborate with them. > While we don't yet have a decision from the court, we haven't seen more raids like this in Idaho. ## Key takeaway ICE arrested 105 people at an Idaho horse racing festival using an FBI gambling warrant, sparking a constitutional lawsuit that could limit how immigration agents conduct operations across the country.