Federal Immigration Officers in Washington Arrest 2 Firefighters Tackling the State's Largest Wildfire

Last year, wildfires in the United States burned over 8.9 million acres, the most since 2020 and well above the 10-year average, per the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). With some regions of the U.S. experiencing higher temperatures and lower levels of rainfall, the NIFC is forecasting “above normal significant fire potential” in several parts of the U.S. through September. 

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown could compound the risk of wildfires this fall. 

On Wednesday, “two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement,” reports The Seattle Times. These firefighters were part of two firefighting contract crews that had been deployed to fight the fire, which, at nearly 9,000 acres burned, is the largest in Washington state. As of Thursday, only 13 percent of it has been contained. 

As the Times reports, these crews were sent to the “northeast side of Lake Cushman,” which is adjacent to the fire, “to cut wood for the local community.” While they were waiting for their supervisor to show up, federal law enforcement agents showed up and, over three hours, lined up the crew and demanded they show their IDs. 

Firefighters on the scene told the Times that “members of the crew were told not to take video of the incident.” When the two firefighters were detained, the rest of the crew was “denied the chance to say goodbye.” 

“I asked them if his (family) can say goodbye to him because they’re family, and they’re just ripping them away,” one firefighter told the Times. A federal officer responded by telling him “to get the (expletive) out of here,” or he’d make him leave. It’s still unclear why the two firefighters were arrested, per the Times, but given the presence of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) in the area, and a CBP vehicle at the scene, the arrests were likely related to immigration enforcement. 

Immigration arrests at emergency response sites are rare. In 2021, the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security declared that “Absent exigent circumstances, immigration enforcement will not be conducted at locations where disaster and emergency response and relief is being provided.” It’s unclear if the Trump administration is still enforcing this policy. 

If it isn’t, then Americans could feel the impact, as Hispanic immigrants play a pivotal role in wildfire response. While exact numbers are unknown today, an Oregon Department of Forestry spokesperson told the Associated Press in 2006 that about 85 percent of the privately contracted fire crews in Washington and Oregon are Hispanic. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this trend continues today. 

While language barriers on the frontlines of a wildfire have caused safety concerns in the past, these challenges clearly haven’t been large enough to force fire crews to move on from immigrant employees altogether. Federal officials showing up to job sites and removing these workers from privately contracted crews will very likely delay wildfire response times and put more Americans at risk. 

This would also undermine the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce wildfire risk. On Wednesday, the Agriculture Department began taking steps to open up nearly 45 million acres of federal lands for road construction and timber harvesting, which could reduce fuel load and make wildfires less damaging. More than half of the acres burned by wildfires in 2024 happened on federal lands, according to NIFC.

It’s unclear if Wednesday’s arrests are a sign of things to come or a one-off event. For those living in wildfire-prone areas, hopefully it’s the latter.

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