'Causing fear': ICE present at Boise Airport, Canyon County Courthouse

Carolyn Komatsoulis, The Idaho Statesman on Dec 13, 2025

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BOISE, Idaho — Immigration and Customs Enforcement waited at the Boise Airport to pick someone up, two local lawyers told the Idaho Statesman. For two days this week, ICE agents were present at the Canyon County Courthouse, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. And Meridian Police helped an arm of ICE with a car chase earlier this month, according to a news release.

It’s all part of a pattern of increased ICE activity that is scaring people and could hurt law enforcement trust within the immigrant community, an advocate and a lawyer said. A local TV station, Idaho News 6, reported Monday, Dec. 8, that a Nampa woman felt she was failed by the police after she and her boyfriend called for help for a car fire, and officers alerted ICE to her boyfriend’s presence.

“They are definitely looking for novel avenues to increase their numbers,” said Neal Dougherty, a Nampa lawyer and partner at Ramirez-Smith Law. “These are enforcement tactics that we have not previously seen from them.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond on Friday to two emailed requests for comment. In an emailed statement Friday, Boise Airport spokesperson Jennifer Kronberg said “Airport employees were not part of this action.”

This pattern isn’t isolated to Idaho. The New York Times reported Friday that the Trump administration was providing airport traveler’s names to immigration officials as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping mass deportation program and immigration crackdown.

The escalation comes in the aftermath of the Wilder raid on Oct. 19, where hundreds of law enforcement agents descended on a Canyon County racetrack, detaining and zip-tying people, including U.S. citizens and some children.

In the months since Trump took office, ICE agents in Idaho have changed their tactics, including by shattering car windows and picking people up more often while their Idaho criminal cases are ongoing, with potential consequences for the immigrants and victims. Gov. Brad Little announced a partnership between ICE and the Idaho State Police to transport “dangerous” immigrants who had been convicted of violent crimes. Most, however, did not have a history of violent crimes.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare shared information with the federal government that critics argue is intended to help with immigration enforcement.

Canyon County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Joe Decker said deputies did not assist this week but that the office is ready “to provide limited support upon request from ICE to maintain a safe environment for all courthouse visitors and staff.”

“ICE is fully authorized under federal law to conduct operations within the courthouse, and CCSO will not impede lawful federal actions,” Decker said in an email.

Some people at the courthouse may be victims or may not have committed crimes, said Estefanía Mondragón, executive director of PODER of Idaho. ICE’s stepped-up enforcement makes it hard for those who need to be at the courthouse to decide what to do and whether to go, Mondragón said by phone. Former President Joe Biden had restricted arrests at courthouses.

“It’s causing fear,” she said. “I’m getting really tired of saying this, but our community is in fear.”

Immigrants in Idaho who are subject to potential deportation should minimize their risk, said Chris Christensen, an immigration attorney in Boise. That means staying out of trouble, potentially limiting travel (even domestically), and carrying evidence of registration, he said in a phone interview.

People should still go to court dates at the courthouse to avoid having warrants issued for their arrest, he said. Mondragón said people with court dates could ask if they can attend remotely.

“It is really a double-edged sword, though,” he said. “Several courthouses around the country have issued orders saying, ’We don’t want ICE arresting people because it interferes with the judicial process. People are innocent until proven guilty, but if you’re afraid of an ICE pickup, you may not be willing to go to court.”