At La Catedral Arena in Wilder, a local horse racetrack popular among the Spanish-speaking community west of Boise, families enjoy the free raffles, vendors and food. It’s common to see hundreds of children there on a race day, said Nikki Ramirez-Smith, a Nampa-based immigration lawyer. Those children, Ramirez-Smith said, ended up being among the targets of a Sunday raid on La Catedral Arena over what law enforcement called an investigation into illegal horse betting.
“It’s a family event,” Ramirez-Smith told the Idaho Statesman on Sunday. “It’s just like when Americans go to a rodeo. … Some people are gambling, but it’s very few. I would say probably — I mean, I can’t even say how many — but 90% of people there are not gambling.”
