ICE Raids Idaho Lawmaker's Farm
State Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen was reported to ICE for speaking out against Trump's immigration policies.
An Idaho Republican state representative has accused her own party of weaponizing federal immigration authorities against her after she publicly criticized former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, according to ace reporting from Investigate West.
State Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, a seventh-generation Idahoan and farmer, said her family’s farm was raided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) just three days after a local Republican official falsely reported her to the agency. The incident, which unfolded in late January 2025, has sparked outrage among some residents and raised concerns about political intimidation in the state.
Mickelsen, who represents a district in eastern Idaho, had spoken out against Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, noting the critical role immigrant labor plays in the state’s agriculture industry. “If you think that you haven’t been touched by an illegal immigrant’s hands in some way along the production chain ... you are kidding yourself,” she said in a local news report posted to X:
Her comments drew the ire of Ryan Spoon, vice chair of the Ada County Republican Party, who publicly called for ICE raids on Mickelsen’s farm, accusing her of employing undocumented workers. On Jan. 21, the day after Trump’s second inauguration, Spoon posted on X, “Could you please send some illegal immigration raids to the businesses owned by Idaho state Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen? She has been bragging about how many illegals her businesses employ.”
Spoon followed through by reporting Mickelsen Farms to ICE’s tip line and website, according to a report by Newsweek on April 1. By Jan. 27—one week into Trump’s second term—The Idaho Statesman reported that an employee at Mickelsen Farms was arrested by ICE. She described the ordeal as an attack on her livelihood by “a recent transplant from San Francisco” who she said misunderstood Idaho’s agricultural values.
The raid has had a chilling effect on Mickelsen’s willingness to speak out. “The next debate I remained silent ... didn’t speak up because I didn’t want to put a target on my family’s back,” she said in a local news report, admitting that the intimidation had altered her behavior. “I did change the way I did things.”
The incident has drawn comparisons to authoritarian tactics, with some X users calling it “Gestapo tactics” and likening the political climate in Idaho to “Trump’s America, exactly like Putin.”
Investigative journalist Daniel Walters first broke the story for Investigate West, highlighting how some right-wing activists in Idaho have turned ICE tip lines into a weapon against political rivals. The report noted that the Trump administration’s push for tips on migrants has emboldened such actions, particularly in a state with a history of far-right extremism, including the presence of the Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi group that operated a compound in northern Idaho until 2001.
Idaho’s economy heavily relies on immigrant labor, with a University of Idaho report estimating that 35,000 undocumented immigrants contribute tens of millions of dollars to sectors like agriculture, hospitality, and construction. Mickelsen’s case underscores the tension between the state’s economic realities and the hardline immigration policies championed by Trump and his supporters.
The incident has also fueled calls for greater oversight of ICE’s operations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has long criticized ICE for practices that risk violating constitutional protections, including the Fourth Amendment’s safeguard against unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as guarantees of due process and equal protection.
Neither ICE nor the Ada County Republican Party immediately responded to requests for comment. Mickelsen has not indicated whether she plans to take legal action, but her experience has sparked a broader conversation about the intersection of politics and immigration enforcement in Idaho.
Some residents and advocates are urging mainstream media outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, to cover the story, while others have called on Idaho Gov. Brad Little to address the issue. However, with the state government dominated by ultra-conservative Republicans, critics say meaningful action may be unlikely.
