Immigration Agents Arrest Two Mexican Contractors Who Were Fighting a Fire: 'Deeply Concerned'

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested two Mexican contractors helping fight a fire in Washington, sparking condemnation from Democratic lawmakers.

NBC News noted that it was one of the first times immigration agents entered a fire zone to carry out the Trump administration's crackdown.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned about this situation."

Crew boss David Diaz said he and his crew were being followed by agents, as he saw a black van that he also spotted the previous week at a Walmart, where his crew had gone to pick up supplies after arriving to help fight the fires.

"We saw the black truck literally do a U-turn right in front of us while we're at the store," Diaz said. "We've just been followed the whole time."

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.