The Trump admin stormed a family event, detaining and traumatizing hundreds. We're suing.

BREAKING: We're suing ICE, the FBI, and 4 local police departments for an unlawful and dangerous immigration raid carried out at a family event in Wilder, Idaho.

Friend –

The horse races at La Catedral are a beloved family-friendly event, and the track has been a place for the thriving local Latine community to celebrate Mexican culture, enjoying specialty Mexican foods from vendors.

But on October 19, this event quickly turned into a nightmare, as over 200 police, some in masks, stormed the event with armored trucks, helicopters, and guns drawn. Local police officers, ICE, FBI, and other agents zip-tied people at gunpoint, used flashbang grenades, shot rubber bullets into the crowd, and detained over 400 people – including children and U.S. citizens.

This attack was traumatizing – and must never happen again. In the words of our client, Juana Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen who was present with her 3-year-old son on the day:

"On October 19, I took my 3-year-old to a family-friendly event where we could eat, play, and enjoy horse races together. 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. I'll never forget hearing his little voice pleading with me to give him food and water for hours on end. As a parent, nothing is more heartbreaking than hearing your child cry out in fear and being told you cannot hold or comfort them.

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."

Make no mistake: This was an unlawful dragnet operation targeted at a Latine gathering that swept up anyone in their path – a clear violation of the Constitution's protections against discrimination based on ethnicity.

We will not be silent in the face of abuse. We're suing the federal and state law enforcement actors responsible to seek accountability for the trauma inflicted on these families and demand an end to discriminatory ICE operations.

No person – let alone a child – should have to go through the kind of violence and cruelty that took place in Wilder that day.

We'll see ICE, the FBI, and the police agencies they conspired with in court.

Jenn Rolnick Borchetta
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Deputy Project Director on Policing, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project


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