Local law enforcement leaders say the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, led a raid this weekend of an alleged illegal horserace gambling operation in southwest Idaho.

The comments come a day after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin credited ICE for the operation, where she said ICE arrested 105 people for immigration violations. The FBI previously announced five arrests of people linked to the alleged illegal horserace gambling operation in Wilder at La Catedral Arena.

“Over the weekend, ICE dismantled an illegal horse-racing, animal fighting, and a gambling enterprise operation,” she said.

Idaho law enforcement, DHS at odds over which agency led operation

In a joint statement released Wednesday, Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue and Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram said DHS’s claim that ICE led the law enforcement action “was completely false and a serious misrepresentation of the facts. It was also deeply misleading to the public.”

“The operation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Metro Violent Crime and Gang Task Force with support from multiple federal, state, and local partners,” Donahue and Ingram said in a written statement. “The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and Caldwell Police Department, who are both longstanding members of the Metro task force, were on scene assisting with the criminal investigation. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) were present for the identification and processing of individuals illegally present in the United States.”

Asked about the statement by the Canyon County sheriff and the Caldwell police chief, DHS spokesperson McLaughlin told the Idaho Capital Sun: “Our statement is correct so he must have misspoken.”

The local officials said they “generally limit our comments when it comes to active federal investigations.” But they said they felt it was “important to address the confusion caused by” DHS’s recent statement.

ICE denies zip tying children. ACLU of Idaho says answers still needed.

Advocates who were at the scene of the raid have denounced aggressive tactics they say they saw used, including law enforcement detaining everyone at the venue, children being zip-tied, and people being struck with rubber bullets.

McLaughlin told the Sun that “ICE didn’t zip tie, restrain or arrest any children.”

ACLU of Idaho spokesperson Rebecca De León told the Sun that answers are still needed.

“We are frustrated with the lack of transparency and obfuscation by the agencies involved. All agencies had been preparing this despicable event for a long time, so they should be able to answer questions and be accountable to taxpayers now. And we are demanding answers now,” she said in a statement. “Who was in charge of this effort? Who authorized such an egregious use of force for gambling? How many agencies were involved and what weapons were at their disposal? Who authorized zip tying children? We demand answers and accountability immediately.”