HOODSPORT, Wash. — Two people who were working with contractors fighting the Bear Gulch Fire were arrested for being in the United States illegally, according to the U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The arrests, caught on viral videos from other firefighters working with them, come after an investigation that CBP says it was assisting the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in two contractors: ASI Arden Solutions and Table Rock Forestry.
The two companies did not respond to a request to comment to KIRO 7 News.
KIRO 7 News requested more details on the investigation from BLM, but has not heard back.
The videos show people in a truck rolling into a work site with Border Protection Police handcuffing two individuals.
More than 40 other crew members were lined up, some seen holding documents and identification. The two people who were arrested have not been identified, and CPB says they were transported to the Bellingham station.
“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 a statement. “U.S. Border Patrol steadfastly enforces the laws of the United States and unapologetically addresses violations of immigration law wherever they are encountered.”
In the day since the arrest, Democratic leaders in Washington reacted, including Governor Bob Ferguson.
“I have asked my team to reach out to federal agencies for more information, to determine where these two individuals are, and to question why the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration policies now extend to individuals fighting forest fires.”
The U.S. Forest Service says incident commanders on the Bear Gulch Fire were aware of the operations and the CPB operation is “not interfering” with firefighters’ efforts.
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