CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — Volunteers and community organizations have mobilized to support families impacted by the FBI raid that occurred at the Catedral horse track in Wilder on Sunday.
During the raid, 105 people were detained by ICE, and another five were arrested on charges of illegal gambling. Many of those detained were parents or the sole providers for their families.
Watch as Raquel walks us through the donations and explains how the community has come together to help families in need:
Poder of Idaho has coordinated relief efforts ever since the raid, organizing donation drives and volunteer support for affected families.
"We said, 'Let's just have people donate and get volunteers to come help us,' and that's really how it all came together," Raquel Reyes with Poder of Idaho said.
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Reyes said the community response has been overwhelming, with organizations opening their doors to collect donations and provide assistance.
Organizations that you can contact:
"I think sometimes it takes a crisis for people to understand the plight," Reyes said. "I think it's touched their hearts — especially when they saw children running, people running, trying to save their lives. We've had a lot of people come in and say, 'I want to do something. I don't know what to do, but here are some items.'"
For Reyes, who was raised in Wilder, the situation is deeply personal.
"I need healing. I'm sad. I haven't even had a chance to grieve because I've just been on the run since Sunday," she said. "As a group and as an organization, we hit the ground running to see what we could do for the families."
Volunteers who witnessed the raid have also joined the relief efforts. One volunteer, who asked not to be identified, said she was motivated to help after seeing the events unfold.
"I was there," the volunteer said.
She said some of her friends were arrested while trying to help families during the raid.
"I watched children being detained and then released to strangers," the volunteer added.
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Many of the detained individuals served as primary financial providers for their families, creating additional hardship for those left behind.
"I've asked some of the kids, 'Was your parent the main provider?' and they tell me, 'Yes, they were our sole financial support,'" Reyes said. "We're seeing that in many of these cases — the adult male who was taken was the provider."
"The biggest fear for many of these families is not knowing if they'll ever see their dad again," Reyes said.
The organization hopes the community will continue supporting families as they work to heal from the experience.
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