Horse racing is a cornerstone of Kentucky’s culture, boasting “the most exciting two minutes in sports” with the Kentucky Derby and “the horse capital of the world” in Lexington. It’s also an economic behemoth, generating billions of dollars in the Bluegrass State each year.
But amid a recent uptick in federal immigration raids under President Donald Trump, concerns about the industry’s specialized workforce are growing.
In June, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested more than 80 backstretch workers at Louisiana’s Delta Downs racetrack. Of those arrested, only four had prior criminal records.
“There are trainers that are calling us saying, ‘We saw what happened in Louisiana. We want to make sure that we can ensure that we're going to have a workforce,’” said Will Velie, a lawyer with the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
Ripple effects across the industry
Kentucky’s equine industry creates $6.5 billion annually in overall economic activity through breeding, racing and recreation, according to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. It also results in more than 60,000 jobs.
Baldemar Bahena, a career horse trainer who works at Churchill Downs’ backstretch stables, said fears of ICE have made it harder to find workers to fill some of those positions.
“It used to be so easy,” he said. “A lot of people came around looking for jobs before, but now you don't see too many, because they don't want to come this way, or they are home.”
Backstretch workers groom, exercise and maintain horses before and after each race. Bahena said it’s a difficult job, requiring seven days a week of early morning duties.
“If you like it, you're welcome to work,” he said. “But some people, they stop. Most of the kids, they go to college to get a college degree, because they want to work five or six days a week. They want to have a day off.”
The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association lobbies on behalf of 30,000 horsemen, trainers and backstretch workers. CEO Eric Hamelback said there’s not much concrete data on how many immigrants make up the equine industry’s workforce, but he estimates around 70% comes from other countries.
“When you look at the number of retirees every year, we don't have that many people coming into the workforce, and so we rely on them,” he said.
Hamelback said most work on the backside of racetracks already requires some documentation.
“Everyone is vetted by the state and given an occupational license,” he said. “This is whether you're a trainer or anything else. So you go through paperwork. … Some commissions – and I can't say all – they even do fingerprints.”
The increased immigration enforcement has been a source of stress and uncertainty for people in the industry, causing some who fear detainment and deportation to be afraid to show up or travel for work. But Hamelback said the horses are also hurt by worker shortages at racetracks.
“When you take care of livestock, there are duties that need to be done,” he said. “There are horses or cattle that need to be taken care of. They are not a crop, you know, that just grows in the field.”
Efforts to protect workers
The shortage is also felt at Kentucky’s horse farms, where immigrants make up the vast majority of the workforce.
Javier Hernandez supervises eight grooms at Woodstock Farm outside Lexington. They each have around 15 to 20 years of experience, making their work invaluable.
“They can handle the horses, they can deworm the horses, they can clean the stalls, they can prep the horses, they can wipe the horses. They can do basically everything,” Hernandez said.
Many of his workers are now living at the farm to prevent encounters with immigration officers.
“There was a checkpoint just … like five minutes from here,” he said. “So I just keep them on the farm. Don't go anywhere. You know, if you need some groceries or you need anything, I can go and pick them up.”
Hernandez worries if the shrinking pool of workers persists, it could lead to smaller horse farms in Kentucky shutting down.
Advocates said they’re currently discussing how to protect the equine industry’s immigrant workforce with federal lawmakers, including more pathways to visas.
This story was produced by the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, a collaboration between West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WPLN and WUOT in Tennessee, LPM, WEKU, WKMS and WKU Public Radio in Kentucky and NPR.