Two firefighters battling a wildfire in a Washington state national park were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
According to a U.S. Border Patrol press release, the arrests followed a multiagency criminal investigation led by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service, and Border Patrol. The agencies were investigating the contractors that employed the firefighters.
As part of the inquiry, BLM asked Border Patrol to assist in “verifying the identities of all personnel” working on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Crews were required to undergo identity checks to confirm that individuals on-site matched the names listed on contractor rosters.
During this process, officials determined that two firefighters were in the country illegally, with one already subject to a “previous order of removal.” Both were taken into custody and transported to the Bellingham Station on charges related to illegal entry and reentry after removal.
“This cooperative effort highlights the coordination between federal agencies in ensuring the integrity of government operations and maintaining public trust in fiduciary matters,” USBP Blaine Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rosario P. Vasquez said in the release.
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“U.S. Border Patrol steadfastly enforces the laws of the United States and unapologetically addresses violations of immigration law wherever they are encountered,” Vasquez added.
Following the investigation, BLM canceled its contracts with Table Rock Forestry Inc. and ASI Arden Solutions Inc., which provide reforestation and wildfire suppression services. Neither company immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The USBP emphasized that the arrests and contract terminations “did not interfere with firefighting operations or the response to any active fires in the area,” nor did they pose “any danger to the surrounding community.”
Still, the move drew sharp criticism from Washington lawmakers. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray told CBS News: “Here in the Pacific Northwest, wildfires can, and have, burned entire towns to the ground. This new Republican policy to detain firefighters on the job is as immoral as it is dangerous.”
Murray said she was “demanding immediate answers from this administration about the circumstances of this incident, the whereabouts of the detained firefighters, and the administration’s current policy regarding immigration enforcement during active wildfires.”
The arrested firefighters had been working to contain the Bear Gulch Fire, which has scorched more than 9,000 acres in Olympic National Forest and National Park. As of Thursday, Aug. 28, officials reported that the blaze was 13% contained, according to CBS News.
