Democrats Slam Trump Admin After Firefighters Detained at Wildfire by Border Agents: 'As Immoral As It Is Dangerous'

Two firefighters were detained by federal agents this week while battling the Bear Gulch fire in Washington State, sparking condemnation from lawmakers who say the Trump administration's immigration policies are undermining disaster response efforts.

The detentions occurred Wednesday when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents conducted an operation at the active wildfire site. Federal officers lined up members of two private firefighting crews to check identification, ultimately arresting two individuals who were allegedly in the country illegally.

Photos and video reviewed by The Seattle Times showed firefighters in gear being questioned and others sitting on logs as officers made the arrests.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called the incident "immoral" and "dangerous," a statement reported by The Guardian:

"Here in the Pacific north-west, wildfires can [burn] and have burned entire towns to the ground. We count on our brave firefighters, who put their lives on the line, to keep our communities safe – this new Republican policy to detain firefighters on the job is as immoral as it is dangerous"

'What's next?" added Murray. "Will Trump start detaining immigrant service members? Or will he just maintain his current policy of deporting Purple Heart veterans?"

According to the Border Patrol, the operation was initiated after the Bureau of Land Management terminated contracts with two companies as part of a criminal investigation. Agents said they identified two individuals "present in the United States illegally," one of whom had a prior removal order. Forty-two other contract crew members were escorted off federal land, though officials stressed firefighting operations were not interrupted.

The arrests, however, highlight broader tensions around immigration enforcement during natural disasters. Firefighters on scene told The Seattle Times they were ordered not to record the operation and were denied the chance to say goodbye to detained colleagues. "You risked your life out here to save the community. This is how they treat us," one firefighter said.

The incident comes amid a broader debate over how Trump administration immigration crackdowns affect wildfire recovery across the West. As The New York Times reported last month, immigrant laborers—many undocumented—are central to post-fire cleanup and reconstruction in California, yet raids and workplace checks have left workers fearful of reporting to job sites.

In Pasadena, for example, more than half the laborers at a fire reconstruction project failed to return to work after ICE agents questioned crews, even though no one was arrested.

Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have warned that such enforcement actions are worsening labor shortages at a time when record wildfires demand more manpower.