Federal Agencies Arrest 84 Illegal Aliens In Worksite Operation at Louisiana Racetrack
Charlie Kirk Staff
06/19/2025

Federal and state authorities arrested 84 illegal aliens on June 17 during a targeted enforcement operation at Delta Downs Racetrack in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The action focused on unauthorized workers employed at businesses operating out of the stables at the racetrack, near Vinton.
The arrests were carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, the Louisiana State Police, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and Lake Charles Police Department also assisted with the operation.
According to officials, all individuals taken into custody were processed for administrative immigration violations and transported to the Lake Charles Border Patrol Station. An investigation is ongoing into potential criminal conduct related to the hiring of the illegal aliens, and federal officials are also assessing whether civil penalties will be imposed on employers.
The operation was initiated after law enforcement received intelligence that businesses affiliated with the racetrack were employing unauthorized workers. A follow-up site inspection confirmed those suspicions.
At least two of those arrested have prior criminal histories, ICE said. One of them, Enrique Gonzalez Moreno, a 36-year-old Mexican national, has illegally reentered the United States four times. His criminal record includes two DUI convictions, a conviction for cocaine possession, and another for illegal reentry. A second detainee, a 40-year-old Mexican national, has been arrested in the past for aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, criminal conspiracy, sexual battery, and video voyeurism. ICE is verifying the outcomes of those charges.
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations is working closely with our federal and state partners to review each case of unauthorized employment at the racetrack to identify any other criminal activities that were taking place in addition to labor exploitation and immigration violations,” said ICE HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. “Oftentimes, when we’re conducting these worksite enforcement operations, we uncover other forms of criminal conduct such as document and benefit fraud, money laundering and human trafficking. As a result, we’re able to bolster public safety in the local community by eliminating that criminal activity and removing any dangerous criminal aliens, transnational gang members or other egregious immigration offenders who illegally entered the country and are working at the business without authorization.”
Steven Stavinoha, Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New Orleans, stated, “These enforcement operations aim to disrupt illegal employment networks that threaten the integrity of our labor systems, put American jobs at risk and create pathways for exploitation within critical sectors of our economy. CBP New Orleans is assisting ICE with multiple operations across the country to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.”
FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp said the bureau “stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our local, state, and federal partners in operations like this one with the common goal to remove criminal threats from every community across the State of Louisiana.”
The investigation is being conducted in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which requires employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of workers using the Form I-9 and includes penalties for violations.