ICE Arrests More Than 80 People at Delta Downs Racetrack in Louisiana

^{Workers stand handcuffed after being arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, at Delta Downs Racetrack, Hotel and Casino in Calcasieu Parish, near Vinton, Louisiana, on Wednesday. (Photo: Associated Press)}

A raid of the Delta Downs Racetrack, Hotel, and Casino by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resulted in the arrest of more than 80 people who the agency say were in the United States illegally. 

The facility, located in Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana near the Texas border, was raided by federal officials on Monday, June 16.

Horse Racing Industry Calls Raid ‘Unacceptable’

ICE said that it had received intelligence that “unauthorized workers” were being employed at the racetrack’s stables. The agency claimed that at least two of the individuals who were detained had prior criminal records.

“These enforcement operations aim to disrupt illegal employment networks that threaten the integrity o our labor systems, put American jobs at risk and create pathways for exploitation within critical sectors of our economy,” Steven Stavinoha, US Customs and Border Protection director of field operations in New Orleans, said in a statement.

The raid came as a shock to some in the racing industry, who say such actions will disrupt horse racing and leave important jobs unstaffed.

“To come in and take that many workers away and leave the horse racing operation stranded and without workers is unacceptable,” Peter Ecabert, general counsel for the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said via the Associated Press. If [ICE] were willing to come in and try to work with us, we are willing to make sure things are done in an orderly way. But what they have done here leaves everyone in a bad situation.”

However, it’s likely that this won’t be the last ICE enforcement action that targets the gaming industry. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has reportedly pushed ICE to make at least 3,000 arrests per day, after the agency averaged about 650 per day so far during the second term of Donald Trump’s presidency. 

Hospitality Industry Could Make Casino Resorts Targets for ICE

That has meant raids on farms, restaurants, and even locations where day laborers are known to congregate, such as Home Depot stores. And while President Trump briefly mentioned considering moving enforcement action away from centers of employment, he ultimately has given ICE the go ahead to continue raids targeted at sites where undocumented immigrants are believed to be working.

“The President has been incredibly clear,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Joe Moeller of KTNV Las Vegas. “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts.”

That has many members of the massive Las Vegas hospitality and culinary industries – primarily hotel and restaurant workers, who work hand-in-hand with casino workers at integrated resorts – concerned, after earlier expectations that mass deportations were unlikely given the regulated nature of the gaming industry, which ensures that workers are legally in the country. 

Still, there are many immigrant workers in Las Vegas with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and individuals such as those may be concerned about being swept up as part of raids targeted at illegal workers – with the potential for deportation should they make legal errors or be unable to prove their status. 

“Look, in the gaming industry, it’s highly regulated,” Culinary Union Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge told KTNV. “But all of the workers, our union is majority immigrant workers.”

The Nevada Resort Association released a statement emphasizing the steps it takes to ensure its workers comply with employment laws.

“Nevada’s highly regulated resort industry complies with all federal, state and local employment laws and hiring requirements,” the statement read. “Nevada’s resort industry is committed to the safety and well-being of its team members and fostering a positive workplace where team members thrive.”