Have Peruvians Flooded Blaine County?

By Greg Pruett • November 15, 2024

Over the last month, social media posts have caught the attention of Idahoans about Peruvians allegedly coming to Idaho, and in particular, Blaine County.

Is this just a rumor, or is there truth to what is alleged? This was something Idaho Dispatch decided to investigate.

First, in mid-October, a video went around X, in which Idaho Dispatch was tagged. In it, a man asked individuals on camera where they were from and where they were headed. According to the subtitles, two of the men in the video said they were from Peru and headed to Idaho.

The video also appears to show James O’Keefe. O’Keefe runs O’Keefe Media Group and has been doing investigative work for well over a decade. This year, he worked on the Mexican border, covering the illegal immigration issue.

Several weeks after the above video surfaced, Theo Wold, a former advisor to President Donald Trump and a fellow Idahoan posted on X, saying,

In Ketchum, Idaho:

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Hundreds of illegal immigrant families arrive from Peru.

Most do not speak English or Spanish, but indigenous Quechuan.

They have no work visas.

Many have no shelter, with winter approaching.

Americans are generous, but generosity can’t solve this problem.

Kamala Harris’ illegal immigration invasion is greater than the resources available in most American towns; greater than a small community can absorb safely, no matter how generous the taxpayers are.

Border Czar Kamala Harris designed the problem this way: she wants to weaponize your generosity for millions of foreign nationals while your children drown in a sea of violent crime and illegal drugs.”

When Idaho Dispatch saw the post, in conjunction with the video from earlier that month, we figured we had to investigate to find out exactly what was happening.

Ketchum, Idaho, is a small resort town with many visitors during the winter for tourists skiing and doing other winter sports. As of 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Ketchum had a population of 3,611 people. Data USA cites a Hispanic population of just 6.6%. This means that only a couple hundred Hispanic people are believed to live in Ketchum proper.

If hundreds of Peruvians have recently arrived in Ketchum, that would be a noticeable number of people for such a small town.

Idaho Dispatch traveled to Ketchum Saturday night. After settling into my hotel room, I decided to go to a local gas station to see if I could talk to an employee about the situation there.

Interestingly, there was a small section of Spanish-labeled snacks in the gas station.

As someone who lived in Caldwell (23% Hispanic out of a population of 68,000) for several years, it is not totally strange to see Spanish-labeled snacks in Idaho. Caldwell has an entire market dedicated to Hispanic food. However, in Ketchum, this wasn’t something I was expecting to see, given its size and the very small Hispanic population.

My family and I live in Rigby, which has just over 5,000 people. Our Hispanic population is around 14%, which is double the Hispanic population of Ketchum. However, none of our four gas stations have a section for snacks in Spanish. There are Hispanic-brand foods, but they have English ingredients and other English wording on them.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with having a section of Hispanic snacks in the gas station; it was just something I felt was out of place compared to what I was used to in other areas of the state. It was a possible sign that more South American people lived in Ketchum than the data shows.

I spoke with the employee about whether there had been an influx of South American immigrants into the area. The employee told me that ever since President Joe Biden removed many of the border protections put into place by President Donald Trump, there had been a large increase of immigrants, mostly illegal, who had come into Blaine County.

Idaho Dispatch spoke with a law enforcement official in Ketchum about the situation. He confirmed that there had been an influx of South Americans to the area over the last four years, and in particular, he confirmed that many of the individuals arriving were from Peru.

When I asked about any changes in crime, the official said that crime has increased. Specifically, the official said that domestic violence crimes and sex crimes against children were the most common issues. When I asked where the individuals were living, the official was unsure.

Late Monday night, I received a tip about a facility in Hailey that is housing some of the immigrants. Hailey is a 20-minute drive from Ketchum. It is another resort town with a population of around 10,000 people and a non-white Hispanic population of around 10%.

Before I went to Hailey on Tuesday morning, I drove around Ketchum, going into some of the local stores and some of the construction sites, as Ketchum has exploded in recent years. Approximately 50% of the people I saw appeared to be of Hispanic origin. Again, nothing wrong with that, but it is a possible clue that there were more individuals of Hispanic origin than the census data shows for the area.

Several individuals who lived in the area I spoke with at stores also told me that there was a large influx of South Americans.

After driving around Ketchum, I traveled to Hailey. I first went to what used to be a retirement home known as Silvercreek Living. In early 2023, the building was approved for co-living.

Two facilities on the property have 16 studio apartments each. The rooms are between 200 and 300 square feet, and rent, according to some of the residents, is $1,600 a month.

Idaho Dispatch went inside both facilities and talked to three individuals currently residing there.

Two individuals inside one of the facilities were from South America. They both told me that most of the individuals living in the buildings were Peruvian. An individual living in the other building told me that 95% of the individuals residing in the building were from Peru.

Additionally, the individual in the second building Idaho Dispatch visited said that when they first arrived at the facility, there was one infant in the building. Now, they say that there were around 17 kids in the building.

The three individuals said that in both buildings, around four to six people are living in each room to cut down on costs. That would put Silvercreek’s total population at over 100 people.

Idaho Dispatch contacted Hailey Police Chief and asked him a series of questions regarding the situation. Here are our questions and his responses in their entirety, with Idaho Dispatch’s questions in bold:

1. Over the last 4 years, has the city of Hailey seen an increase of individuals who have come to the area, legally or illegally, from South American countries, and in particular, Peru?

“In the most recent 4-year period, Hailey has seen an obvious increase in population. I believe this can be attributed to people moving here from some metropolitan west coast cities and states, because they found they could continue to work from home after things “opened back up” from the 2020 pandemic. After the pandemic, we also saw an increase in persons moving to Hailey and its surrounding area from other countries, including Peru. As to the legality of those that immigrated here, I cannot say for sure.”

2. In talking to locals and other law enforcement officials in the area, the most common crimes/issues they are seeing a rise in has been DUI’s, traffic violations (maybe not knowing the law), as well as sex crimes against children, some of which may be cultural differences. Is that what you have seen as some of the issues that have arisen since the influx happened?

“An increase in growth and population usually comes with an unfortunate increase in crime too. I believe the large majority of individuals that move to our area are hardworking and/or want to contribute to society. However, there are also those that come with a negative and/or criminal past and may have not been vetted at some point, regardless of their immigration or legal status, and continue to violate laws no matter where they are. One thing we do appear to find out is that certain crimes/violations, such as the ones listed above, do tend to be committed more when individuals come to our area and do not familiarize themselves with our State and/or Federal laws. What might be legal or acceptable in someone’s home nation, probably is against the law or different here.“

3. In the sex crimes against children, is that typically inter-cultural? Do you know if it is people within their own community doing the reporting or if it is people outside their community doing the reporting? For instance, are Peruvian people raising concerns, or are non-Peruvians typically reporting those crimes?

“Sex crimes against children or otherwise is always a concern and troubling to investigate, regardless of one’s nationality, gender, or race, and I have found throughout my career that sex crimes or any crime for that matter knows no socio-economic or socio-cultural boundaries. As for the Peruvian populous specifically, those reports come in through first-hand and third-party accounts, like most any other types of reports/complaints do, and we have seen an increase which is expected when you have a rise in population.”

4. Why do you believe there has been a large influx of Peruvians to the area?

“Hailey and its surrounding area is a diverse population and we have abundant agriculture and dairy employment opportunities to the south of us, and a strong option for service/retail employment in Hailey and to the north of us. Therefore, our area can be an attractive place to come and relocate or possibly experience a greater quality of life. Our Peruvian populous seemed to increase near the end of the most-recent pandemic, most-likely because they have or had close family or friends or people in the business industry they knew and thought our area was a viable option. In the last year things have appeared to subside a bit, probably due to a difficult housing/rental shortage we have been facing and I have been told some that had moved here have gone back to their home country or elsewhere, because they did not find our area to be feasible for them or their family.”

5. Please feel free to add anything else you would like, and I’ll let you know if I have any follow-ups.

“The Wood River Valley has grown like a lot of other places in Idaho. Since we are such an attractive state to live, work, and play, we have to also recognize that with expedited growth comes unforeseen and unintended obstacles. However, at the Hailey Police we are dealing with it the best we can and working with our local non-profits, civic leaders, and other community members to achieve the highest level of policing possible for our respective area. Every area is different and we have to know and keep a pulse on our community to be able to do what is best for the safety of those that reside and visit here.“

Idaho Dispatch also contacted the Blaine County Sheriff’s office for an official comment on the Peruvian situation and how it has impacted their communities. We have not received a reply from them yet.

In conclusion, many Peruvians have moved to the area, although the exact number is unknown. If Silvercreek houses nearly 100, it is unknown how many others live in Hailey and how many other migrants, legal or illegal, live in houses or facilities in both towns.

You can view Idaho Dispatch’s video report below: