Border Patrol agents arrested two firefighters helping to battle the Bear Gulch Fire on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
According to the agency, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service “requested assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol as work contracts with two firms were terminated.”
A Border Patrol Agent patch is displayed at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Headquarters on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Kevin Carter/Getty Images
ABC station KOMO obtained footage showing agents lining up 44 members of the work crews. CBP says it assisted with verifying the identities of the personnel and arrested two individuals believed to be in the United States illegally. One of the individuals had a previous order of removal, CBP said.
However, news of the enforcement action drew condemnation from state officials.
“Deeply concerned about this situation with two individuals helping to fight fires in Washington state. I’ve directed my team to get more information about what happened,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson posted on X.
CBP said they did not interfere with firefighting operations.
“This administration’s immigration policy is fundamentally sick. Trump has wrongfully detained everyone from lawful green card holders to American citizens—no one should assume this was necessary or appropriate,” Sen. Patty Murray said in part in a statement.
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