As I may have told you before, I lived and worked in Mexico City years ago. It was a great experience, and the people were very nice. At the same time, I was introduced to something that happens a lot in rural Mexico: illegal horse races, rooster fights, and lots of money in play. It's not a national thing, but it does go on in many states. Most Mexicans find it repulsive, but it happens because of the temptation to gamble. A lot of money goes down on Saturday night, as a Mexican friend explained.

So, guess what ICE just discovered in rural Idaho? You guessed it. Here is the story:

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin explained that the ICE raid had “dismantled an illegal horse-racing, animal fighting, and a gambling enterprise operation,” in Wilder, Idaho, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. McLaughlin added that 105 illegal aliens had been arrested.

McLaughlin’s statement comes as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “previously announced five arrests of people linked to the alleged horserace gambling operation in Wilder called La Catedral Arena,” according to the outlet.

You can't make this up, but the place is in the business of growing watermelons. Really? Watermelons in Idaho?

The story gets even weirder when the ACLU claims that ICE used paramilitary means to arrive at the place. Were they supposed to knock on the door and ask if there was gambling going on in this place? Is the ACLU concerned about what was going on in this arena?

Again, most Mexicans find these activities as repulsive as you and I do. So I am not knocking Mexicans. This is just another example of what happens when illegal immigration goes unchecked.

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Image: Tomas Rojas