84 arrested in immigration raid at Louisiana horse racing track

Federal and state authorities apprehended 84 unauthorized migrants during a raid Tuesday at a horse racing track in Calcasieu Parish, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

The operation at Delta Downs near Vinton focused on businesses that own and race horses at the facility and their employees, according to an ICE news release issued Wednesday. The people arrested were processed for administrative immigration violations and taken to the U.S. Border Patrol station in Lake Charles.

Those arrested included Enrique Gonzalez Moreno, 36, from Mexico, who ICE said has illegally entered the U.S. four times. He has reportedly been convicted twice for driving under the influence, once for cocaine possession and once for illegal reentry.

ICE also took an unnamed 40-year-old man from Mexico into custody who the agency said has previously been arrested for criminal conspiracy, aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, sexual battery and video voyeurism.

ICE said it planned to have an update on the disposition of these criminal cases once they are verified.

Eric DeLaune, special agent in charge of ICE’s New Orleans Homeland Security Investigations office, said each case of unauthorized employment is being reviewed to determine if any other criminal activities were taking place, including labor exploitation.

“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,” DeLaune said in the ICE statement.

Authorities received a tip indicating businesses at the racetrack’s stables were employing unauthorized workers, according to ICE. The information was confirmed during a subsequent on-site visit. 

Agencies that took part in the Delta Downs operation included U.S. Border Patrol, Louisiana State Police, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Lake Charles Police Department.