ICE Agents Raid Delta Downs for Undocumented Workers

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed a raid June 17 at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The move came as a surprise to some as U.S. President Donald Trump had said that immigrants who worked in hospitality and agriculture had nothing to fear when it came to his administration’s plans to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association executive director Ed Fenasci said that he has been hearing news second-hand, which included that ICE shut down nearby highways and utilized drones in search of undocumented workers. 

In a statement, Boyd Gaming, which operates Delta Downs, said: “Our Company complies fully with federal labor laws, and to our knowledge, no Delta Downs team members were involved in this matter.  We will cooperate with law enforcement as requested.”

Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, had hoped that the Trump’s comments would have led to a pause in action against tracks and farms. His organization has been working with the American Business Immigration Coalition to lobby on behalf of agricultural workers. 

“He’s made those comments a couple of times,” Hamelback said of Trump. “I guess there was something that was maybe ‘reversed,’ even overnight, that that pause was no longer in place. But again, I don’t quite understand where that message came from. … We’ve been working pretty hard on that messaging that President Trump and his administration talked about the workforce within farms, and I believe he said in hospitality, certain areas that felt as if there was a workforce that had been there for a long-standing period of time and wasn’t a threat.”

Hamelback said raids such as this are a “significant blow” to caring for the horses.

“I think that the frustration comes from our workforce shortages without this problem are difficult enough for trainers, obviously for thoroughbred breeding farms,” he said. “It’s getting more and more difficult to secure help these days, and obviously on the racetrack, we have the understanding that an individual has a license, that they’ve at least been vetted by a state government authority.”

This story will be updated.