Federal Judge Orders Release of 16 Migrants After Idaho Raid, Citing Due-Process Violations

A federal judge has ordered the release of 16 people detained after an Oct. 19 FBI-led sweep at a rural racetrack in Wilder, Idaho, finding that holding them without bond violated their constitutional due-process rights. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill directed that the migrants be freed while their immigration cases proceed, noting many have long ties to the United States, no criminal histories and family members who are U.S. citizens.

The Oct. 19 operation, led by the FBI as part of an investigation into suspected illegal gambling, involved more than 200 officers from at least 14 agencies. Officials and witnesses say roughly 400 people were detained for hours; 105 were arrested on suspicion of immigration violations while only a handful faced gambling-related charges.

Witnesses described aggressive tactics during the raid, including claims that children were restrained or separated from parents for extended periods. Homeland Security officials maintained that arrests were lawful and criticized the judge's decision. An ICE statement called the ruling an example of an 'activist judge' releasing people the government says have no right to remain in the country. An FBI spokesperson initially said no restraints or rubber bullets were used on children but later clarified the comment to refer specifically to 'young children.'

Winmill emphasized that immigration law and the Constitution draw a distinction between people stopped at or near the border and those who reside within the country, saying that noncitizens living in the United States are entitled to due-process protections.

Judge Winmill and other judges considering similar petitions have concluded that noncitizens who are detained while present in the U.S. retain certain constitutional protections. The court noted that many detainees have lived in the U.S. for decades, have no criminal records and include individuals married to U.S. citizens or with U.S.-citizen children.

Immigration attorney Nikki Ramirez-Smith, who represents 15 of the people freed by the order, said those clients will remain with family while counsel files applications for relief in immigration court. She warned that hearing dates are likely to be years away because immigration courts face a backlog of more than three million cases.

The case highlights broader and ongoing tensions in U.S. immigration policy. In recent years, the administration has pursued measures intended to limit certain asylum claims, restructured parts of the immigration court system and temporarily authorized military lawyers to serve in adjudicatory roles — moves that critics say have sometimes reduced procedural protections and accelerated removals.

The release order will allow the 16 people to await immigration proceedings outside detention. Their cases will proceed through immigration courts and federal immigration processes, where outcomes and timelines remain uncertain.