Border Patrol Arrests 2 Firefighters Battling Blaze in Washington for Illegal Entry

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson stated that he is ‘deeply concerned’ over the arrests.

Wildland firefighters watch and take video with their cellphones as a plane drops fire retardant on Harlow Ridge above the Lick Creek Fire, southwest of Asotin, Wash., on July 12, 2021. Pete Caster/Lewiston Tribune via AP

Two firefighters from a 44-member crew battling the Bear Gulch Fire on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula were arrested for unlawful presence in the country, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Aug. 28.

The CBP said that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service requested assistance from Border Patrol to help verify the identities of all personnel working at a remote area of the fire scene.