14-year-old says she was zip-tied during immigration raid
#Idaho#immigration raid#zip-tied#Homeland Security#civil rights#minor detention#Jerome County
📌 Key Takeaways
A 14-year-old U.S. citizen was zip-tied by agents during an Idaho immigration raid.
The operation targeted a rural horse racing track suspected of employment violations.
The minor claims her legal status was ignored by law enforcement during the detention.
Civil rights advocates are questioning the use of hardware restraints on children during federal raids.
📖 Full Retelling
A 14-year-old American citizen reported being detained and zip-tied by federal and local law enforcement officers during a massive immigration raid at a rural horse racing track in Jerome County, Idaho, in October 2023. The incident occurred as authorities executed search warrants targeting alleged illegal employment practices at the facility, resulting in the girl being held in restraints for a significant period despite her status as a minor and a U.S. citizen. The teen, documented in a report by CBS News, expressed profound distress over the aggressive tactics utilized by the agents during the multi-agency operation.
Following the raid, legal advocates and the girl's family raised serious questions regarding the proportionality of the force used against children present at the scene. According to witnesses and the teenager's personal account, agents arrived in tactical gear and treated all individuals on the premises as potential criminal suspects or undocumented immigrants without immediate verification. The girl claimed that her repeated assertions of citizenship were ignored until several hours into the detention, highlighting a controversial trend in high-profile immigration enforcement and worksite inspections.
The Department of Homeland Security and local Idaho sheriffs have faced increasing scrutiny over the protocols followed during this specific operation. While law enforcement agencies often cite safety concerns as the justification for using zip-ties and temporary restraints during large-scale raids, civil rights groups argue that such measures constitute a violation of the constitutional rights of minors. The incident has become a focal point for national debate regarding the collateral damage of immigration enforcement on families and legal residents living in rural farming and racing communities.
As the investigation into the Idaho raid continues, the teenager’s testimony has prompted calls for more stringent oversight of the Department of Homeland Security's tactical units. Legal representatives for the family are currently exploring options for a formal complaint, seeking to ensure that future operations prevent the traumatic detention of minors who are caught in the crossfire of federal enforcement actions.
🏷️ Themes
Human Rights, Immigration, Law Enforcement
📚 Related People & Topics
Jerome County, Idaho
County in Idaho, United States
Jerome County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 24,237. The county seat and largest city is Jerome.
In American national security policy, homeland security is "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to the "national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within...
Idaho ( , EYE-də-hoe) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state shares a small portion of the Canada–United State...
A 14-year-old girl says law enforcement zip-tied her during an October raid on a horse racing track in rural Idaho. CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman has the details.
