The cost of Idaho horse track raid keeps ticking up. Here's the latest

Carolyn Komatsoulis, The Idaho Statesman on Aug 15, 2026

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BOISE, Idaho — Taxpayers will pay even more costs for the Wilder raid, according to a local lawyer.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers swept into a Wilder horse track in October, detaining hundreds and zip-tying attendees, including some children, as part of what the FBI said was an investigation into illegal gambling. The raid drew criticism over separating families, and a group of Idahoans sued, saying officers hurled racial epithets and largely withheld water, food, bathrooms and medical care. Ultimately, 105 undocumented immigrants were arrested, according to previous Statesman reporting.

But U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, of Idaho, in November ordered the release of 16 immigrants arrested at the raid, after he rejected the government’s expansion of mandatory detention. The government had shown no information that the immigrant was a danger or flight risk, Winmill said.

Now, in early August, Winmill ordered attorneys’ fees and expenses in those cases, totaling around $73,000 to Ramirez-Smith Law and just under $14,000 to another law firm. The government, in 15 of the cases, did not oppose the attorneys’ fees.

“As long as the government keeps playing games, taxpayers are going to foot the bill,” said Nikki Ramirez-Smith, the managing attorney of Ramirez-Smith Law. “If the government’s going to illegally detain them, and we have to fight that…we’re all going to pay for it.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not return a request for comment.

In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that ICE helped dismantle the operation in Wilder and “lawfully arrested more than 105 illegal aliens.”

“ICE didn’t zip tie, restrain, or arrest any children. Activist judges are attempting to obstruct President Trump from delivering on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of illegal aliens,” the spokesperson said. “The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country.”

The legal fees are on top of the salaries paid to the officers from the 10 agencies present that day. Two agencies did not provide that information to the Statesman, but the Nampa Police Department sent 26 officers and spent $24,000 in wages, according to previous Statesman reporting. The Caldwell Police Department said it used $11,300 on wages for 16 officers.

The horse races, at La Catedral Arena, were legal, but the FBI said it was investigating unlicensed parimutuel betting. That type of gambling is allowed in Idaho only in some circumstances. The track owner had a permit for the horse races but not to allow gambling.

Four people arrested during the raid face illegal gambling charges, and a fifth taken into custody in Meridian was home the next day. All five are still awaiting trial, which was delayed until December.

Another four were also arrested during the raid — protesters who arrived to get answers and said officers responded with force, according to previous Statesman reporting. Prosecutors dropped three of the cases, and a fourth case was appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court.