Most participants in cockfighting, charreada, and outlaw horse racing speak Spanish. However, Anglo cockfighters and gamecock breeders make most of the money. This raises questions about the potential impact of immigration policies on these activities. Washington D.C. is at the center of these discussions as the incoming Donald Trump administration considers mass deportations of illegal immigrants. The ethnic mixes of both illegal immigrants and participants in these activities make this a complex issue.

Oklahoma's Role in Cockfighting

Oklahoma Republicans hope to decriminalize cockfighting, which has sparked a debate about the possible loss of business if immigration agents target cockfights. There is also a question about whether the Trump administration will ignore or seek to repeal a 2018 Congressional extension of U.S. federal law prohibiting cockfighting in U.S. territories and states. Donald Trump nominally cut off gamecock exports in 2018, but the Oklahoma Game Fowl Commission is on the march. An estimated 2,000 attendees at a November 17, 2024 rally expressed confidence in winning a reduction of penalties for cockfighting convictions. Lane County state representative Justin “J.J.” Humphrey predicted that his decriminalization bill would pass in 2025.