Caring for All Children
October 27, 2025
A community’s first responsibility is to keep its children safe. Every young person deserves the chance to learn, to play, and to trust that the adults around them are looking out for their wellbeing. When that promise is broken, the consequences echo far beyond childhood. Trauma caused by abuse, instability, and violence can alter a young person’s development and health for decades to come. And yet, time and again, children are put in harm’s way by the very people and systems that are supposed to protect them.
These consequences aren’t hypothetical. Last week in the small farming town of Wilder, a government raid showed a shocking disregard for the safety of everyone present, especially the children. Witnesses report agents zip-tied young people and adults. Children watched their parents taken away without explanation. Families were separated in a matter of minutes. What should have been an ordinary afternoon is now a traumatic memory many will carry for the rest of their lives.
Despite only a handful of arrests, more than 100 people were swept into detention centers across the region. Behind each number is a family left wondering when — or if — they will be reunited. Will they ever feel safe in their own community again?
We are also left with important and urgent questions: Who counts as part of our community? Which families deserve safety? How wide is our circle of care?
Our leaders often speak about “family values” as core to who we are as Idahoans. But values mean little if they only apply to some families. When we say we care for children, that cannot depend on what they look like, which languages they speak, or where they were born. True family values require caring for each other without conditions.
Thankfully, many Idahoans are living those values. Neighbors, educators, and faith communities are stepping in to support the children who have been affected. Their care shows the kind of community most Idahoans want: one grounded in dignity, not fear.
The harm in Wilder was avoidable. There are better, more humane ways to enforce the law. Agencies can use strategies that respect due process, community safety, and the wellbeing of young people. When enforcement relies on militarized tactics instead of measured communication and coordination, trust erodes in the very institutions meant to protect us. Children end up paying the highest cost for decisions they had no part in.
We can turn away, insisting this is not our issue, not our family, not our children. Or we can widen the circle of who we care for and show up for one another. We have a choice. The kind of Idaho we build will be defined by how we respond now. Will we let fear decide for us, or will we lead with dignity, courage, and care for every person who calls this place home?