Federal Agents Arrest Fire Crew Members At Washington Wildfire

Immigration agents arrested 2 Mexican contractors helping to tackle a wildfire successful Olympic National Forest successful Washington, a supervisor who oversees nan crews said Thursday.

It was 1 of nan first times national migration agents person been known to participate a occurrence area to transportation retired President Donald Trump's mass deportation orders, seasoned firefighters said.

Two activity crews, totaling 44 people, were gathered astatine a staging tract adjacent Lake Cushman astir 9 a.m. Wednesday erstwhile national agents appeared, unit leader David Diaz said.

They were only astir a mile from nan Bear Gulch occurrence statement and planned to walk nan time chopping lumber, Diaz said.

The origin of nan fire, which started July 6, is still nether investigation. It has scorched astir 9,000 acres and was 13% contained Thursday evening, according to nan incident bid team.

A chopper drops h2o connected a basking spot connected nan fire's separator connected Aug. 6.U.S. Forest Service

Twenty of nan statement workers were Mexican, and each carried activity visas and passports, he said. But national officials arrested 2 of them connected suspicion of being successful nan United States illegally.

Gov. Bob Ferguson said successful a connection connected societal media that he was "deeply concerned astir this business pinch 2 individuals helping to conflict fires successful Washington state."

Diaz instantly recognized 1 of nan achromatic trucks that he had seen nan erstwhile week astatine Walmart, wherever his unit had gone to prime up supplies aft it arrived successful Washington, he said. The motortruck followed him to a hardware shop and past to a state station, he said.

“We saw nan achromatic motortruck virtually do a U-turn correct successful beforehand of america while we’re astatine nan store.” he said. “We’ve conscionable been followed nan full time.”

Videos recorded by Diaz and posted to societal media appeared to show Border Patrol agents detaining 2 unit members. Other videos show unit members lined up side-by-side successful beforehand of Border Patrol agents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said successful a connection that nan arrests followed a criminal investigation into nan 2 contracting companies, Oregon-based Table Rock Forestry Inc. and Idaho-based ASI Arden Solutions Inc. The Bureau of Land Management, which conducted nan investigation, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment, and CBP did not supply details.

The companies besides did not respond to requests for comment.

BLM, which oversees 245 cardinal acres of national land, requested thief from nan U.S. Border Patrol successful verifying nan identities of each activity unit members, migration officials said. One of nan 2 who were arrested had a erstwhile bid of removal connected his record, they said.

Contracts pinch nan 2 firefighting companies were terminated, according to Customs and Border Protection.

“The statement termination and enforcement action did not interfere pinch firefighting operations aliases nan consequence to immoderate progressive fires successful nan area, nor did it airs immoderate threat to nan surrounding community,” nan agency said successful its statement.

The enforcement action near a sour emotion among nan unit members, Diaz said. They were not allowed to opportunity goodbye to nan 2 men who were arrested, and they were forced to guidelines astir for astir 3 hours while nan national agents checked their records.

Diaz said each he could do was manus 1 of nan detained men a mango pick soda.

“With nan backstage contractors, it’s difficult for america to moreover sometimes spell retired to a fire. I mean, we’re fortunate capable if we moreover get this benignant of work,” he said, adding that erstwhile a unit personnel is deported, it is intolerable to get him back.

“There’s already a deficiency of resources,” he went on. “Wildfires could get retired of hand, bigger than what anyone expects.”

Washington and Oregon progressively trust connected statement crews for illustration Diaz’s because of a national firefighter shortage. Unlike California, which invests heavy successful a multiagency attack that includes state, section and national resources, nan Pacific Northwest contracts to backstage companies to capable unfastened slots connected occurrence crews.

The business leaves much room for error, said Steve Gutierrez, a national typical pinch nan National Federation of Federal Employees.

“This wouldn’t hap pinch nan Forest Service,” he said, which requires strict inheritance checks, including citizenship status.

That it happened during an progressive fire, he said, was particularly concerning. Immigration enforcement actions do not usually hap adjacent occurrence lines, Diaz and Gutierrez said, and Wednesday could people a caller section successful really nan Trump management handles earthy disasters.

Trump this twelvemonth rescinded a Biden-era argumentation barring migration enforcement astatine alleged delicate locations for illustration schools and churches. That besides applied to earthy disasters, but it appears to person changed pinch nan arrests Wednesday.

"This is nan first clip this has happened successful each my 26 years" successful firefighting, Diaz said. "They could person done this successful a much humane way."